Good vision is important for a child’s schooling. Very soon, children will be heading back to school. As parents, we make sure they have their school supplies, some new clothes, and the textbooks that they’ll need for the year. However, there is something that’s often forgotten on the back to school list… the eye exam.
There is something that's often forgotten on the back to school list... the eye exam. Click To TweetLast week I took both of my girls to get their vision checked by Dr. Bob Champion. He was absolutely fabulous with the girls. He talked openly with them and made the eye exam so much fun! While my youngest passed with good vision, my oldest daughter was told she would need glasses.
Her reaction?! “THIS. IS. AWESOME!!!”
So without further ado, I’m delighted to introduce you to my special guest today, Dr. Bob Champion. I hope you enjoy his knowledge and insights on eye care for children.
What a fun time it was having Jennifer bring her two girls in for their eye exams! We had a blast as we played different games that tested their eyes and vision.
It was great that Jennifer brought her girls in to get their eyes checked. Often vision exams are the one doctor’s visit that can fall through the cracks. When I was a kid, most parents only took their child for an eye exam if the child said their vision was blurry. Unfortunately, kids aren’t great at expressing visual problems.
For example, in grade three I got my first pair of glasses. When they first put the new glasses on my face, I looked out the window and I was amazed I could see so clearly. I was partly happy, but partly frustrated that everyone else had been seeing this well except for me! I didn’t know you could see the leaves on the trees or people’s faces from across the street! I didn’t know my eyes had a problem until I got those glasses!
That’s one of the reasons it’s so important to get kids’ eyes checked. Usually, the parents and the child are unaware of any problems. In fact, about 25% of children start Grade 1 with an undiagnosed eye or vision problem.
About 25% of children start Grade 1 with an undiagnosed eye or vision problem. Click To TweetWhat is the cost of an eye exam?
Alberta Health Care now covers eye exams for those under 19 years old. That’s great because it makes it so much easier for parents to get their kid’s eyes checked. It also means that more of those eye problems can be solved at an early age. This is important because many problems with the eyes are easier to treat at a young age.
If you don’t live within Alberta, I would encourage you to investigate the cost of eye exams. You may also want to explore what eye care coverage is available within your region.
At what age should I get my child’s eyes checked?
The first eye exam is recommended at 6 months old. At that exam, we make sure the eyes are developing properly. If your child is older than 6 months and hasn’t had an eye exam, then the best time is now. Many parents are unaware that eye exams should start so young. I understand this. That’s one of the reasons I’m writing this guest post!
How often should I get my child’s eyes checked?
After the first eye exam, we usually follow the development of the eyes on a yearly basis. The reason for this is simple: certain eye problems are an easy fix in the early years but left untreated until the teens, can cause lifelong problems. It’s much better to discover these problems while the visual system is developing.
As part of the back to school routine, take your kids to your optometrist. I love having kids come into my office, so feel free to have them see me if you prefer. The most important thing is that their eyes get checked.
Dr. Bob Champion is proud to be the father of Jaxon and Risa. His favourite part of being an optometrist is the interactions he has with his patients. He loves examining the eyes of people of all ages, but has to admit that there’s always some extra enjoyment when interacting with children and infants. He’s always happy to see new patients on the Southside of Edmonton at Lendrum EyeCare and in Sherwood Park at Doctors EyeCare.
Those glasses are fantastic!! I had no idea we were meant to get their eyes checked at 6 months, yikes, I better add it in the 2 year check-up rotation that’s going on now!!! Thanks for sharing this, I probably would have just assumed all was well until my daughter walked into a pole!!! xx
I didn’t know that they should get their eyes checked at such a young age either!
Dr. Champion provided some great information here!
NO WAY! I had NO idea you should get eye exams beginning at 6 months! Poor vision runs in my husband’s family- he has bad eyes, his sister has bad eyes, etc. Thanks for this guest post! Looks like Dylan is going to the doctor! Only this doctor doesn’t poke him with needles so he’ll like the experience a lot more lol
I didn’t know that either. This was my youngest daughter’s first eye exam!
Dr. Bob Champion provided some great information here… I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Right there with you Jennifer and Rebecca, I had no idea you should make a visit at 6 months. Glad to know that. The others have all been, but not Anneliese.
Isn’t that stunning?! 6-months-old?! I had no idea.
My second grader wears glasses. I hate Walmart, but they have Hello Kitty glasses, so twice a year, I bite the bullet and go there to upgrade her rx.
At my 15 year old son’s sports physical for football, he failed the eye exam! I was really surprised. He’s going in this month for his first real optometrist appointment. He’s going to be the child that breaks/loses several pairs of glasses every year.
My oldest daughter is entering Grade 2. She was convinced she wanted pink and purple glasses… at least we were able to fulfill her wish!
Wow 6 months! I had no idea! This is a great reminder for all parents. I got my first pair of glasses in 4th grade. My eyes were sooooo terrible I was almost legally blind. Then I had PRK and can see so much better! I need to get Little A in ASAP!
I had no idea that the first exam should happen at 6 months of age either! My youngest just turned 3 and this was her first visit to the optometrist.
Glad you enjoyed this guest post Tiffany!
Good info, Jennifer!! I’m keeping this for when I have kids!! Thank you :)
Dr. Champion provided some great (and surprising info here). Glad you enjoyed it!
As I was reading the article I was thinking my son at 8 would definitely be due for an exam but had no clue my daughter at 4 would also be due. Great post, real eye opener (no pun intended!!)
But I like the pun…. I was surprised by the 6-month-old age for the first exam too. Surprising!
I just took my 5 year old to get his eyes checked! It was his 3rd time getting a check up, but this time we went ahead and got him glasses for the problem we’d been keeping tabs on. It’s neat to see this post because we JUST went through the same thing. My guess is most parents don’t think to get eyes checked as part of the Back to School routine, but it could really make a difference if they end up needing vision correction! Great post.
Glad you enjoyed this Aubrey! Dr. Champion provided some great information here.
And she looks AWESOME! Just adorable…
What a fabulous post! I love that you had your doctor write a guest post – fantastic. I had no idea that children should be examined so young – we usually wait until ours are beginning school.
Thanks for sharing – great post Jennifer!
I love her glasses too – I think she looks great in them.
Actually, it was Dr. Champion who approached me with the idea of a guest blog post… and am I ever glad he did. This has proven to be very informative for a lot of families!
I had no idea you should check your baby’s eye vision so early! Our son had his eyes checked before starting school and yearly after that, luckily he has no problems. Our daughter is starting school this year and she will be getting her eyes checked then!
I think most people believe that eyes should get checked before a child starts kindergarten. It’s awesome that Dr. Champion has helped shed some light on this common misconception!
Thanks for the many kind words. I’m glad this is helping spread the word on the importance of eye exams for kids. If you have any questions about your child’s eyes, you can email me at drbobchampion{at}gmail{dot}com. Thanks for reading!
Great reminder at back-to-school time. We just took my son and his vision has changed a lot since the last exam. He’s not quite so excited about glasses as your daughter! Love her reaction! :)
I’m so glad she’s excited to have glasses. I know when I had to get glasses I was so disappointed (although when I saw better I was happy)!
It IS really important to get regularly checked! Our one son was SO visually impaired, and we didn’t know how bad it was, until we took him in (although he kept resisting going in for a long time himself…) Glad to have got the correct glasses! Good article :)
I’m so glad my daughter has her glasses now. I’ll be making eye exams an annual back-to-school practice.
Thanks for sharing about your son, I’m glad he can see better now too!
What an adorable snuggle angel! She’s the same as my daughter. Transition lenses were her favorite.
I’m glad she was so excited for glasses. It would have been a challenging transition if she didn’t want them.
Thanks so much for posting this. I just re-shared on my facebook page and will post on Lendrum Eyecare’s facebook as well. Your blog is so helpful for getting information to moms!
My pleasure Kelsey! We love Lendrum Eyecare and it’s my pleasure to share such wonderful information and resources.