When Should Your Child Start Having Eye Exams and How Often?

Infancy:

Even without apparent vision problems, the AOA still recommends starting eye exams at six months old. Though visual impairments are rare at this age, it’s important to catch them early in the developmental stage. Vold Vision urges parents to take advantage of the InfantSEE program, which offers free eye exams to babies from six months to one year old.

Preschool:

In preschool, Dr. Holden recommends visiting the eye doctor again around three years old to reevaluate and fine-tune the child’s visual skills.

Grade School:

To reassure that the child has a “head start” in school, schedule a comprehensive eye exam before starting kindergarten- around five or six years old.

Thereafter, if they have a glasses or contact lens prescription, they should visit their eye doctor once a year to update their prescription. If they do not have the need for glasses and contacts, Dr. Holden suggests visiting the eye doctor every two years to evaluate any minor changes that might have occurred.