When should your child start eye examinations? & bull; hello healthy

Eyes are a window to the world whose health needs to be maintained from childhood. A child's poor eye vision will not only interfere with their daily activities, but also greatly affect their success in following lessons at school. For this reason, children should also have their eyes checked by a doctor. So, when should you start examining your child's eyes? The following is the full explanation.

Various vision problems that often affect children

At least 5-10 percent of preschool aged children and 25 percent of school-aged children have visual impairments. This means that visual disturbances are not only experienced by adults. The risk of vision problems in children can increase if there are family members who also experience vision problems.

The most common vision problems experienced by children are:

Strabismusaka crossed eyes, which makes the child's eyes misaligned or not moving in the same direction so that the eye cannot focus to one point. This visual disturbance affects about four percent of children in the world.
Amblyopia or lazy eye is a vision disorder that most often occurs in children. This condition occurs when the brain is more likely to "employ" one eye only. As a result, one eye becomes weak and looks "lazy" or unfocused.
Nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hypermetropy), and astigmatism.

When should you start checking your child's eyes to the doctor?

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, parents need to start examining their child's eyes from the moment they are born. A newborn's eyes will usually be examined using a red reflex test to check if his eyes are normal; are there any possible signs of visual abnormalities, especially if there is a history of visual disturbances in the family or the baby was born prematurely.

When the baby is between six months and one year old, you can return to the eye doctor to check the development of the child's eye. Then between the ages of 3 and 3.5 years, the child needs to undergo further examinations and eye acuity tests to confirm the condition of his vision. After that, eye examinations can be carried out more regularly until the child enters school age.

Once your child turns 5-6 years of age, you need to go back to the doctor to check your child's eyes. This age range is the most vulnerable period for children to develop nearsightedness. Therefore, at this age the child needs to have his eyes checked at least once every two years.

You need to take your little one to the eye doctor immediately when you notice your child starting to lose focus when they see something. Especially if your child complains of being unclear when viewing writing on the school blackboard, watching TV too often at close range, experiencing frequent headaches, complaining of double vision, and often squinting when looking at certain objects.

Children's eye examination procedures

A formal visual acuity test is usually possible for a three year old child. However, even two-year-olds can begin to undergo eye examination procedures using picture cards that are easily recognized by children. For example, pictures of cakes, hands, birds, horses and telephones.

Another test commonly used for children aged 3 to 5 years is the E chart. The E graph contains many E letters in different sizes and orientations (top, bottom, right, and left).

Stepping on school age, children can begin to be tested with the HOTV system, which is a system where the letters H, O, T, and V are displayed in different sizes. The child will be given a board with the letters H, O, T, and V large, then asked to point to the letter on the board that matches the letter on the chart.

Children who are older can be tested with the Snellen chart which is usually used for adults. In general, the Snellen chart is the most accurate one to use.

Where to check the child's eyes?

A child's eye exam can be performed by an ophthalmologist, your pediatrician, or another trained health care provider. Currently, there are many free eye check programs offered at schools, health centers, or other community events aimed primarily at children.