Children’s Eye Exams in Cloverdale, BC

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Protect Your Child’s Eye Health with Annual Exams

Children’s eyes and their visual systems continue to grow and develop throughout their childhood and teen years. Children require regular eye exams to monitor this development, ensure they are hitting all their developmental milestones, and catch eye diseases, vision problems, or other conditions that may impact their ability to learn.

How often your child requires an eye exam depends on their age and their unique needs. We recommend following the Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO) frequency schedule when deciding when to take your child for an eye exam:

Infants & Toddlers

The CAO recommends that children receive their first eye exam between the ages of 6 and 9 months. It is during this time that your child will gain eye muscle control and hand-eye coordination. This is also when issues like strabismus (crossed eyes) or amblyopia (lazy eyes) will surface.

Preschool Children

The CAO recommends that preschool children (2 to 5 years old) receive at least one exam before starting school. This exam will allow your optometrist to check your child’s visual development and uncover any additional issues.

At this age, your child’s learning and development are largely tied to their vision. You can use many different activities to help your child develop visual skills, like painting, colouring, or sorting sizes and shapes.

School-Aged Children

Because children rely so heavily on their eyes and vision during school and play, the CAO recommends that children between the ages of 6 and 19 undergo annual eye exams. Yearly exams will allow us to monitor your child’s development, diagnose refractive errors, like myopia or astigmatism, and potential eye conditions or diseases.

The Importance of Pediatric Eye Exams

Children’s eyes develop and change rapidly, and children use their new visual skills to help them learn and play. Problems that develop can impact your child’s ability to read, watch TV, play sports, or use a computer.

If left untreated, vision problems may cause your child:

  • To learn at a slower rate than expected at their age
  • To grow frustrated with learning
  • To develop negative self-esteem
  • To develop behavioural problems

Regular eye exams detect vision problems and other eye conditions and diseases that can lead to complications. If you notice any of the following symptoms or signs, book your child for a comprehensive eye exam as soon as possible:

  • Headaches or irritability
  • Red or watering eyes
  • Covering or closing one eye
  • Lack of interest in books or TV
  • Sitting too close to the TV
  • Squinting or excessive blinking
  • Excessive rubbing of the eyes
  • Omitting or confusing words while reading

Common Childhood Eye Conditions

The following are some common eye conditions that can be diagnosed during a regular eye exam.

Strabismus

Strabismus, or crossed eyes, is an ocular muscle condition in which the eyes are misaligned. This can cause one or both of the eyes to turn up, down, out, or in.

Strabismus won’t correct on its own, and if left untreated, it will worsen until the brain begins to ignore information received from the affected eye.

Fortunately, strabismus is treatable. This condition usually develops in early childhood, and regular, comprehensive eye exams will allow us to detect and correct it. Treatment includes eyeglasses, vision therapy, prisms, and in some cases, surgery.

If you notice signs of an eye turn, please book an eye exam for your child as soon as possible, so we can provide you with a treatment plan.

Amblyopia, or lazy eye, is a weakness in one or both eyes caused by an uncorrected prescription or strabismus. If the prescription is dramatically different between two eyes, the stronger eye tends to take over the visual duties, causing the brain to ignore images sent from the weaker eye.

Amblyopia is treatable early on, but treatment becomes significantly more difficult if left untreated for too long. If left completely untreated, the affected eye may become functionally blind.

Treatments include patching the stronger eye to encourage the use of the weaker eye. Vision therapy, glasses, or contact lenses may also be required. A child may not realize they have amblyopia but it can be easily diagnosed during a regular, comprehensive eye exam.

Where to Find Us

Our optometry clinic is located in Clover Square Village, close to No Frills and Pizza Hut, right in the heart of Cloverdale, Surrey, BC. Our family has been serving the Surrey Area for over 20 years, and we would love to see you soon.

Our Address

17700 56 Ave #110
Surrey, BC V3S 1C7

Contact Information

Phone: 604-574-7775
eyecare@annikeyecare.ca

Our Hours

Monday
12 PM6 PM
Tuesday
10 AM6 PM
Wednesday
10 AM7 PM
Thursday
10 AM6 PM
Friday
10 AM6 PM
Saturday
10 AM5 PM
Sunday
Closed

Our Eye Care Services

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