Pediatric optometrist
From birth, kids use their eyes to learn. Your child’s eyes undergo many developmental changes as they grow and learn important visual skills.
If your child develops any vision conditions or fails to learn important visual skills as they grow, studies show that they are likely to struggle academically¹ and they are even bound to struggle socially and emotionally².
That’s precisely why pediatric Optometrists like us are so relevant. We offer routine vision screening and eye exams as the best way for parents to ensure their child’s proper eye health and vision development.
As part of the OAO (Ontario Association of Optometrists), Kodak Lens Vision Centres participates in many initiatives, including offering OHIP-covered vision examinations to children aged 3 months, junior kindergarten and up to 19 years old. If your child resides in Ontario, you can claim your free eye exam annually, courtesy of OHIP. Book a consultation with us to get started on your child’s path to healthy vision.
Children Eye Health Exam
Did you know that all children in Ontario are covered for FREE eye exams annually by OHIP? The Canadian Association of Optometrists recommends vision and eye health examinations starting at 6-12 months old. Our eye doctors are experienced in paediatric optometry and recommend eye examinations annually for all children. Annual checkups ensure your child’s visual development is on track so they are ready to learn.
What does an optometrist for kids do?
Optometrists for kids are pediatric eye care specialists who examine and diagnose kids’ eyes for vision conditions. We can determine the best treatment for each specific situation and need.
The examination begins with a series of eye exams that are specific for children’s visual needs. The optometrist will use specialized equipment to assess eye function, vision clarity, and overall eye health before prescribing treatment. A pair of glasses or contact lenses may be considered among other remedies such as myopia management; the right choice will be the one that best fits the child’s needs and lifestyle.
When should you book the first eye exam for your child?
Children should see an Optometrist as early as 6 months of age to a year, according to CAO (Canadian Association of Optometrists), among other organizations like MAO³. After that, you can book an annual eye exam to ensure your child’s vision is healthy and their visual needs are addressed early.
What can you expect from the first visit to a children’s optometrist?
Infants, toddlers, preschool kids, and school-aged kids who visit our child optometrists can expect a comfortable and friendly process. The first visit involves pre-screening done to test basic eye function, consult with parents, and note any potential eye health concerns. After that, we can begin with further testing through a comprehensive eye exam to determine the state of the child’s visual health.
Common problems associated with poor vision
Kids with poor vision face serious learning and social development challenges. Regarding learning, they are bound to fall behind in school because they can’t see distant objects like blackboards or whiteboards. They may also have difficulty learning how to read or participating effectively in class.
Poor vision can also affect after-school activities, which are critical for proper social development. There may also be safety challenges when poor vision impacts a kid to play and have fun because they can not see as well. If you notice this with your child, please contact us.
Signs To Look Out for in Kids
Here are our top 6 signs of vision impairment to look out for in your child:
- Frequent rubbing of eyes and/or blinking
- Avoiding reading and other close activities
- Frequent headaches
- Covering one eye to see or concentrate
- Holding objects like books too close to the face
- Losing place when reading
Common eye problems in infants
Studies suggest that there are several common eye conditions in infants. They include:
- Watery eyes or sticky eyes: This condition is common among newborns signaling inflammation.
- Squinting: Infants may also appear to squint. If excessive, it could be linked to an underlying ocular health condition that requires medical attention.
- Eye swelling: This condition is usually linked to acute allergic reactions and is normally treatable using an oral antihistamine.
- Delayed visual behavior: This condition is characterized by factors like poor reflexes and slow visual maturation, indicating an underlying ocular disease⁴.
If the child presents any of these signs of concern you can book an appointment with us and we’ll help you assess the situation. You can also click here to ask us a question.
What goes into a kid’s eye exam?
If you book an appointment after noticing any signs, your kid will see one of our expert optometrists at Kodak Lens Vision Centre. A pediatric eye exam is comfortable and comprehensive, it involves the following five key vision aspects:
1. Vision acuity
Vision acuity is about how well a child sees. Special eye charts (with symbols and letters of different sizes) are used to test how well a child identifies the symbols and letters.
2. Eye muscle control
Eye muscle control tests focus on the ability of the eyes to move together properly. The most common test is the cover test, where the child is required to cover one eye and look at a specific object. If the uncovered eye moves, this is an indication of an eye muscle control condition. Eye control tests may include other tests for muscle-control-related vision conditions like misalignment and eye structural conditions.
3. Depth perception
This tests the accuracy in detecting how far objects are using two different images/objects, one for each eye. Additional tests can be involved in this process such as a stereopsis test to assess your vision for 3D images and depth perception. If a child has difficulties with 3D vision, it may affect their confidence in their studies, overall school performance and even enjoying sports. 3D vision is also known as stereopsis or depth perception. This is your brain’s ability to see in 3D by uniting the separate images sent to the brain from your two eyes. Reduced 3D vision could be the cause of a lazy eye or an eye turn.
4. Hand-eye coordination
This is about a child’s ability to coordinate their eyes to do basic movements i.e., being able to look at far or near objects, easily able to look left, right, up and down, or simple tasks such as looking in any direction as directed.
5. Colour vision
Colour vision tests focus on a child’s ability to identify colour accurately, as this is important during playing, reading, drawing, painting, colouring and writing. Typical tests present colour plates featuring coloured dots with hidden shapes or numbers in them. An inability to identify those numbers or shapes suggests colour vision deficiency.
Eye See Eye Learn
As members of the Ontario Association of Optometrists, our doctors participate in the Eye See Eye Learn program, providing FREE eye examinations and FREE eyeglasses to children in junior kindergarten. The Eye See…Eye Learn® program was developed to raise awareness among parents of the importance of having their children’s eyes checked upon starting school. Each year thousands of children start school without ever having an eye exam.
Children, who cannot see the board, focus on a picture or follow words in a book may struggle to achieve their full learning potential. Vision problems can also impact their hand-eye coordination for physical activities and even impact their social development. In fact, 80 percent of learning comes directly through vision.
The Ontario Association of Optometrists (OAO) recognizes the important link between eye health and learning, and recommends comprehensive eye examinations for all children entering kindergarten. The Eye See…Eye Learn® program will help make sure our kindergarten students get the best start to learning.
The program is funded in part by the Government Ontario.
Eye See…Eye Learn® provides comprehensive eye exams by local Doctors of Optometry to junior kindergarten students in participating school regions. The eye exams are covered under provincial health insurance (or OHIP) when you show your child’s health card. This means that there is no out-of-pocket cost for the eye exam.
*PLEASE CONTACT US DIRECTLY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND MORE DETAILS.
Eye Tips For Kids
- Visit one of our clinics for your OHIP covered annual eye health exam. Remember, school vision screenings are not a replacement for annual visits to your Optometrist! Our eye care professionals will monitor your vision and eye health to ensure you’re seeing the best for success. Our expertise and advice will help find the best visual solutions that meet every child’s individual needs.
- Wear sunglasses! Sunglasses shield your eyes from harmful UV rays which affect our vision and eye health even from childhood.
- More than 2.5 million eye injuries occur every year globally. Fortunately, 90% of those eye injuries could have been prevented with the use of protective eyewear. In order to better protect yourself and your family, ask us about protective eyewear for sport, activity or everyday.
- High energy blue light is emitted from fluorescent lighting, the sun and digital devices. In high amounts, this light can increase symptoms of eyestrain and fatigue. Ask us about KODAK Blue Light Filtering Lenses and how it can help.
Eye Facts For Kids
- Approximately 80% of a child’s learning is done through vision (Source: Canadian Association of Optometrists).
- 60% of students identified as problem learners have undetected vision troubles (Source: Canadian Association of Optometrists).
- At 6 months, an eye doctor can spot if the infant’s eyes are developing normally and whether early treatment can prevent bigger problems down the road.
- Around 2-3 years old, a more comprehensive exam can be done.
- The most important eye exams, however, are during school years as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism can change quickly in that time.
- A child who cannot see clearly may exhibit signs of inattention or irritability. As such, Dr. Cassandra Chung always recommends an eye exam as the first protocol in diagnosing concerns for a child’s classroom behaviour.
- Squinting, holding things up close, or using one eye are obvious signs that your child may require vision correction. However, many children exhibit no signs or symptoms for their underlying vision issues. The only way to determine if a child is on track for their visual development is to have an assessment with an eye doctor.
- Did you know? Your eyes are composed of roughly 2 million working parts. Heterochromia is when the eyes are two different colors.
- Did you know? It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. Your eyes will focus on about 50 things per second. Your eyes contribute to 85% of your total knowledge.
Eye Facts for Parents
- 4.6 billion people worldwide require vision correction but 2.5 billion of them continue to live with uncorrected vision problems (Source: Essilor Academy Canada).
- Cataracts are the most common cause of vision loss in people over age 40 and is the principal cause of blindness in the world (Source: Think About Your Eyes).
- 90% of people who work more than 3 hours a day on a computer suffer from visual fatigue (Source: Essilor Vision Foundation).
- This year, only 1 in 10 people will have an eye exam (Source: Essilor Vision Foundation).
- More than 1 million Canadians are living with blindness or a significant loss of vision; 510,000 are in Ontario. 75% of vision loss can be treated or prevented (Source: CNIB.ca).
- 90% of skin cancer occurs on the face and neck, with 5-10% occurring on the eyelids (Source: Essilor- UV Protection Essential to Vision Health).
- 31% of Canadians only go for eye exams once every 5 years or less (Source: National Post).
- 80% of vision problems or impairment worldwide are avoidable or even curable / correctable (Source: VSP).
- The eyes are the only place in the body where it is possible to look at the most microscopic blood vessels in the body in real time, non-invasively. As such, your eye doctor can detect early symptoms of serious health conditions such as diabetes.
Book an appointment with one of our eye doctors for kids at
Kodak Lens Vision Centre
There is a lot that can be discovered in a child’s visual development. To know more about kid’s eye health, book an eye appointment with any of our trusted pediatric Optometrists in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. Click here to ask us anything or book an eye exam for your child. Let’s make sure your child’s vision is as healthy as it can be!