Like many other mothers, I balance my life at work, and my life as ‘Mommy’.  I am a mother of 1 ½ year old, and an optometrist with a small ‘family-friendly’ practice.  My time is spent between my patients and my daughter, and sometimes at the end of the day I have some time left to listen to my husband’s stories.  Many of the parents I know ask me when they should take their child, or baby, to visit the eye doctor.  The answer is early.

Vision doesn’t just happen.  A child’s brain learns how to use eyes to see, just like it learns how to use legs to walk or a mouth to form words.  The longer a vision problem goes undiagnosed and untreated, the more a child’s brain learns to accommodate the vision problem.

That’s why a comprehensive eye exam is so important for children.  Early detection and treatment provide the opportunity to correct vision problems, so a child can learn to see clearly.Many parents believe the screening performed by a pediatrician or school nurse is sufficient to rule out all significant problems.  However, these screenings are limited and were not intended to replace a comprehensive eye exam.  Unfortunately, a school screening may leave some difficulties undiagnosed.

All children should have a comprehensive eye exam before starting school.  In fact, the American Optometric Association recommends exams at the age of 6 months, at age 3, before entering first grade, and periodically during the school years.

At birth, your baby’s eyes should be examined for signs of rare congenital eye problems. And at about age 6 months, you should take your baby for an eye exam. Things that the optometrist will test for include large or unequal amounts of nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism and eye movement ability as well as eye health problems.  You should be aware that eye drops to dilate the eyes may be used.  These problems are not common, but it is important to identify children who have them at this stage.

It is said that eighty percent of all learning is performed through vision.  You should make sure your child has the best possible tools to learn successfully!

As both mom and optometrist, I understand that visiting any health care practitioner can add a challenge to the day.  Especially if your child anticipates the use of eye drops during the visit.  Although all eye care practitioners may be qualified to examine a child, not all may make the exam ‘fun’ enough to tolerate.  A school or other parents are probably the best reference source for finding a doctor who works well with children.

A useful website with information about vision, children’s vision, as well as where to find a doctor, is www.allaboutvision.com.

Dr. Tiffany Smart is an optometrist in Morro Bay, California, who appreciates looking people straight in the eyes.  She focuses her practice on primary eye-care, and makes an effort daily to integrate the patience for both her patients and her toddler. To contact her please visit her website: MorroBayOptometry.com

"Sun protection is just as important for our eyes as our skin.  We have very thin skin around our eyes that can be easily damaged by ultraviolet and infrared light.  The tissues on and inside our eyes are also prone to damage by prolonged sun exposure (most free radical damage is thought to accumulate during the first 18 years of life).   A hat and sunglasses can go a long way to preventing sun damage to the skin around the eyes and also to the eyes themselves.  Now, for a little physiology...The specialized layer covering the whites of our eyes is called the conjunctiva.  It is prone to cumulative damage from UV and IR, which can cause pingueculas and pterygium.  These conditions are preventable damage to the conjunctiva from sun, wind, and dust that cause dryness, chaffing, and yellow callouses to form over the white parts of our eyes.  The cornea, the clear windshield of the eye, is susceptible to a severely painful consequence of extreme sun exposure called UV Keratitis or Snow Blindness.   The crystalline lens behind our iris grows like an onion, adding layers each year, and like our skin most of the free radical damage from the sun can accumulate early in life and can lead to progressive cataract development later in life.  In the back of the eye the retina contains light sensing structures with the macula at its center.  Free radical damage to the macula from ultraviolet can increase the progression of Macular Degeneration which leads to central blind spots and uncorrectable visual distortions.  Unfortunately sun exposure can also lead to several types of eye and eyelid cancers.  Annual eye examinations are crucial in the early diagnosis and treatment of these conditions.  Because sun exposure can have multiple significant consequences to vision, health, and life it is recommended that all babies, children, adolescents, adults and elderly wear UV protecting sunglasses that block the harmful sun rays from damaging effects on the visual system."


*It is also important to make sure that the sunglasses you wear are 100% UVA and UVB protective.  Polarized lenses are helpful to prevent distracting and unwanted glare.

Leslie Hughes is a self-employed mom on the go who, like half of all adults in Canada, has not had an eye exam in five years or more.

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