During the infant and toddler years, your child has been developing many vision skills and has been learning how to see. In the preschool years this process continues as your child develops visually guided eye-hand-body coordination, fine motor skills and the visual motor skills necessary to learn to read. As a parent, you should watch for signs that may indicate a vision development problem, including a short attention span for the child's age, difficulty with eye-hand-body coordination in ball play and bike riding or avoidance of coloring and puzzles and other detailed activities. There are everyday things that you can do at home to help your preschooler's vision develop as it should. These activities include reading aloud to your child and letting him or her see what you are reading. Provide your child a chalkboard, finger paints and different shaped blocks and show your child how to use them in imaginative play. Provide safe opportunities to use playground equipment like a jungle gym and balance beam and allow them time for interacting with other children and for playing independently.
By age three, your child should have a thorough eye examination to make sure your preschooler's vision is developing properly and there is no evidence of eye disease. If needed, your doctor can prescribe treatment including glasses and/or vision therapy to correct a vision development problem.
Unless recommended otherwise, your child's next eye examination should be at age five. By comparing test results of the two examinations, your eye doctor can tell how well your child's vision is developing for the next major step into the school years.
The Boynton Eye Institute understands how important your vision is to your life. Whether restoring, preserving, or improving sight, our eye doctors are dedicated to optimizing your vision so you can live your best. With doctors that specialize in LASIK, cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic eye care, and cornea surgical treatments, we offer our patients an extensive range of eye care services in Boynton Beach and the surrounding areas of Lake Worth, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Greenacres, Canyon Lakes, Palm Springs, Ocean Ridge and Aberdeen. In addition to performing these life changing procedures, we can also help you with simple vision problems and provide preventative vision care for you and your family. Trusted by both patients and doctors, our excellent reputation speaks for itself as we strive to provide the highest quality care in a professional and compassionate environment.