Being a parent means always being proactive with your child's health. However, in the midst of all the trips to the pediatrician's office for well-child checks and immunizations, you may forget about your child's eye health. It can be easy to assume that because your child is young that their eyes are perfect, but this is not always the case. Get to know some of the reasons you should take your child for an eye exam. Then, you can be sure to schedule a children's eye exam as soon as possible. 

Your Child Is 3 or Older

If your child is 3 or older and they have never had an eye exam before, now is the time to get them one. Generally, eye doctors recommend that healthy children with no obvious eye problems early in life have their first eye exams around the age of 3. 

You may wonder how a child that young can do an eye test. Well, you don't have to rush out and teach your child the letters of the alphabet so they can read a standard eye chart. Instead, children's eye doctors use symbols and shapes (square, heart, circle, star, etc...) for children to identify while doing the eye test. This makes eye testing accessible to young children between the ages of 3 and 5 or 6 when they are still learning their letters and numbers. 

Also, keep in mind that eye exams are recommended first at age 3 and then again before a child begins elementary school when they are 5-6. 

Your Child Complains of Headaches

When your child complains of a headache, it can be easy to assume that they are getting sick or have come down with something. However, if your child has frequent headaches, their eyes may be the culprit. Trying to focus when vision is blurry can cause headaches. And because a young child does not know that something is wrong with their eyes, they will just complain of the headache itself. 

So, if your child is having a lot of headaches and the pediatrician is not finding anything wrong with them as far as illnesses or other conditions go, take your child in for an eye exam. They may need corrective lenses, which will improve their vision to the point that the headaches will fade or go away completely. 

Your Child Struggles in School or with Reading

If your child is struggling in school or with their reading, it may not be because of an academic issue, but an eye issue. It is hard to learn when your vision is not up to par. Take your child for an eye exam if they are struggling in school, and you might find that with a pair of glasses, they become a whole new student. 

Now that you know some of the reasons to take your child for an eye exam, you can schedule their first appointment with the eye doctor as soon as possible.