At Spectrum Eyecare we are very family oriented.  We'll happily schedule your entire family together, so everyone can be seen in one trip.  We encourage parents to start bring their children in as young as 6 months old to start checking the overall health and promote early detection and treatment of eye related issues.  Our goal is to make coming to the eye doctor a fun interactive experience you and your children will want to come back to us for every year.

Kids Corner ...

 Visit "See All You Can See" (http://isee.nei.nih.gov/) with your children and find many fun activities to learn more about our eyes and how they work.  A better understanding of our eyes is just the first step in a lifetime of great eye health and optimal vision.  And it's fun too!

FAQs about Children's Vision ...

What is Children's Vision?

Children's Vision 1-3-5 reminds parents when their young children need to have an eye examination from their optometrist: BEFORE AGE 1, at AGE 3, and at AGE 5 before entering first grade. The earlier a child's vision problems are detected, the more responsive the visual system will be to treatment and you will be ensuring your child has the best possible vision skills to learn.

The exam before age 1

The American Optometric Association and California Optometric Association recommend that a child should have her first eye examination by an optometrist at six months of age. Why? Because your optometrist will examine the eyes for disease and normal eye structure development. Infants will be checked for possible signs of amblyopia (lazy eye), crossed-eyes and other focusing problems. Early detection is often critical in preventing vision problems that can have lifelong effects.

The exam at age 3

At age 3, your child's visual acuity and eye heath will be assessed. Eye movement skills, focusing and binocular vision skills (the ability of the two eyes to work together as a team) will be evaluated. The eyes will again be checked for warning signs of amblyopia, which is most responsive to treatment if diagnosed by the age of 3.

The exam at age 5

At age 5, your child should be examined to determine the readiness of vision skills for school. An estimated 10% of children have a significant need for eyeglasses to treat nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. Approximately 15-20% suffer from poor vision skills- focusing, eye alignment or other eye movement skills. Sending a child to school with undetected vision problems can lead to difficulty with learning and frustration in school.

Do children's school vision screenings substitute for a comprehensive vision examination by an optometrist?

No. The purpose of a school vision screening is to detect gross visual problems to determine if there is an immediate need for a comprehensive vision examination. All children should have regular comprehensive visual exams. Good vision is more than just 20/20 sight. Efficient vision requires a number of critical visual skills. Some of these skills are eye teaming, clear and sustained near vision, tracking, focusing, and accurate eye-hand coordination. Recognizing the shortcomings of vision screenings, the National PTA passed a resolution to educate its members, school personnel and the public at large about learning-related visual problems and recommend expanded school vision screenings to identify more at-risk kids.

Frequency of child vision exams The American Optometric Association and California Optometric Association recommend the following guidelines for the frequency of child vision exams:

- Age 6 months
- Age 3 years
- Before entering first grade ·
- Every two years thereafter

Your optometrist will recommend appropriate schedules for high-risk kids.

What is the Kids Welcome Here campaign?

The Kids Welcome Here campaign is a commitment by optometrists who are members of the California Optometric Association to ensure that our children have the best possible vision and vision skills to use in their educational years and future lives. It is our goal to increase public awareness that infants and children deserve to have regular comprehensive vision examinations.

What is an optometrist?

Optometrists are state-licensed health care professionals who diagnose and treat eye health and vision problems. They prescribe glasses, contact lenses and medications, and provide low vision rehabilitation and vision therapy services. They hold a doctor of optometry (O.D) degree.

Optometrists are trained in the latest technology and techniques to provide a thorough examination of your child even if the child has yet to develop communication skills, cooperates poorly during the exam or is unable to attend to an eye chart. Your primary care optometrist is proud to be able to help our children achieve their best in life.

Visit this site (http://isee.nei.nih.gov/) to find fun learning activities and games you and your kids can take part in.  Learning about your eyes is just the first step in a lifetime of great eye health and better vision.