Children’s vision and the ability of the eyes to work together is vitally important during the early school years. The Canadian Association of Optometrists have declared October Children’s Vision Month and local clinic, Chestermere Optometry wanted to share some important details.
University of Waterloo graduate, Dr. Steven Hoang has been with Chestermere Optometry for a year and feels strongly about the eye care of children. “The recommendation of the CAO (Canadian Association of Optometrists) is that a child has their first eye exam at six months of age which most parents are very surprised at this usually asking what can be done at six months, but there are basic things that we look for very early on. Making sure that eyes are aligned, no congenital cataracts, and that there is no major prescription that they shouldn’t have at their age. Following that, children should be seen at three years old and then before school and then every year during the school years. My personal recommendation would be to have your child seen at six months of age and every year from then on.”
Dr. Hoang says that as children change and grow so much, it is important to catch things should something happen. “With Alberta Health Care covering eye appointments for children up until nineteen years of age and the exam only taking fifteen minutes, there really is no reason not to bring kids in every year”, says Dr. Hoang.
The main purpose of the October campaign is to educate and encourage parents to be vigilant in the eye care and eye exams of their children. With learning being mostly done through visual tools, Dr. Hoang says it is extremely important to ensure children are getting proper eye care so that they can do well in school.
To book your child’s eye exam, you can contact Chestermere Optometry at (403) 229-2020.
