Children’s Eye Exams
Being a mom of 2 young boys herself, Dr. Jaffray knows about the joys and challenges of having children. Focused Optometry is a family-friendly office. Dr. Jaffray and the Focused Team are ready to help with vision needs, and patients of all ages are welcome! Children may not even know they are having difficulty because they may have no frame of reference as to what clear vision looks like. They may think all people see the way they do. They also have no way to know if their eyes are healthy. Many eye diseases do not have any obvious external signs or symptoms. Dr. Jaffray is passionate about education and that goes hand in hand with children’s vision.
FOCUSED OPTOMETRY
Children’s Eye Exams – Calgary NW587-353-6287Call us to schedule an eye exam or book online
Focused Optometry is conveniently located in Northland Plaza. With free parking, you can feel at ease while having your eye examination or shopping for glasses and sunglasses. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Early Detection
Other eye health-related problems like color blindness and congenital cataracts as well as signs of some systemic diseases like diabetes, thyroid dysfunctions, and even juvenile arthritis, can be detected during a comprehensive eye examination. Dr. Jaffray is trained to recognize signs of ocular disease and can provide information and referrals where necessary.
Annual Exams
A comprehensive eye examination is recommended to have a comprehensive eye examination every year for all children. In some cases, a child may seem to be seeing very well. For example, if one of their eyes is seeing well, but the other isn’t, they often have no idea. Unless one eye is covered to compare, they may not notice the difference, as the clearer eye takes over when both are open at the same time. Amblyopia, or lazy eye, is a condition where one eye doesn’t see as well as the other despite glasses or other corrections. Somewhere along the way, the brain has decided that one eye isn’t giving consistent or clear images and decides to favor the other eye for easier vision.
If this is left too long, the eye that is having trouble becomes amblyopic or “lazy”. Eye turns (strabismus) do generally lead to the development of a lazy eye, but a child can have a lazy eye, even if both eyes appear straight. If amblyopia is detected and therapy is initiated at an early age, the results are much better than if it is not detected until the child is older. Common forms of therapy include wearing an eye patch over the better eye, mydriatic (dilating drops) to blur the better eye, and vision therapy.
Changing Eyes
Refractive issues like nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism often have a genetic component. However, parents who don’t wear glasses themselves can still have children with visual problems. In the case of myopia in young children, there is a need to monitor for myopia progression. Myopia progression refers to a rapidly changing prescription, typically of more than 0.50D per year. Although there is no way to cure or stop myopia progression, there are some options to help slow it down.
alternative therapies
Therapies with multifocal glasses and contact lenses, Orthokeratology (OrthoK), and mydriatic drops (dilate the eyes) can be implemented to help moderate the rate of myopia progression. Teachers can be a valuable resource in detecting vision problems, but ideally, it is preferable to examine and treat problems before a child enters kindergarten. So much of learning is visually based, so having a clear vision is an important first step. Protecting your child’s eyes from the sun is very important. Children are actually at more risk of UV damage to their eyes than adults since their ocular tissues are all still very clear. As we age, the lens inside our eyes gradually becomes more translucent, reducing the transmission of harmful rays. We offer affordable sunglass options for children of all ages.
Frequently Asked Questions
A child’s first eye examination is recommended starting at 6 months of age, even if parents aren’t noticing any obvious problems such as eye turns, eye rubbing, infections, or other symptoms. There can be underlying vision and eye health issues even in babies and young children.
The best part is that Alberta Health covers one eye examination per year for all children, from birth to the day before their 19th birthday. At Focused Optometry we implement additional testing starting at age 13, for which we charge a co-pay of $25. These extra tests allow for a more detailed evaluation of a child’s overall eye health. A comprehensive examination on a 6-month-old baby looks somewhat different and focuses on developmental milestones, eye coordination, and ocular health tests. Surprisingly, a lot can be learned!
Sometimes it is necessary to dilate a child’s eyes to get a more accurate assessment. The muscles in the eye that focus or accommodate on objects, can sometimes become overworked, without causing pain. In those instances, the dilating drops relax the muscles so a child’s true refractive status can be determined.
A child’s first eye examination is recommended starting at 6 months of age, even if parents aren’t noticing any obvious problems such as eye turns, eye rubbing, infections, or other symptoms. There can be underlying vision and eye health issues even in babies and young children.
The best part is that Alberta Health covers one eye examination per year for all children, from birth to the day before their 19th birthday. At Focused Optometry we implement additional testing starting at age 13, for which we charge a co-pay of $25. These extra tests allow for a more detailed evaluation of a child’s overall eye health. A comprehensive examination on a 6-month-old baby looks somewhat different and focuses on developmental milestones, eye coordination, and ocular health tests. Surprisingly, a lot can be learned!
Sometimes it is necessary to dilate a child’s eyes to get a more accurate assessment. The muscles in the eye that focus or accommodate on objects, can sometimes become overworked, without causing pain. In those instances, the dilating drops relax the muscles so a child’s true refractive status can be determined.
FOCUSED OPTOMETRY
Calgary NW Optometrists & Eye Clinic
587-353-6287
Call us to schedule an eye exam or book online
Focused Optometry is conveniently located in Northland Plaza. With free parking, you can feel at ease while having your eye examination or shopping for glasses and sunglasses. We look forward to seeing you soon!