Children's Eye Exams in Toronto

It’s Never too Early for Eye Health

It’s never too early to focus on your children’s eye health and vision. Their sense of sight is important at every age and every stage of development. Early detection and treatment of refractive error (“prescription”), focusing issues, and eye movement issues can allow for proper visual system development. Should any of these not be detected early on in a child’s life, there is a much higher risk that the visual system will not develop properly or fully, resulting in what may be permanently reduced vision or visual abilities for their lifetime, including amblyopia/”lazy eye” and strabismus/a “turned eye”.

It is crucial that parents be aware that an infant will not complain of poor vision as they since:

1. they do not know how “normal vision ” appears or how those with “normal vision” see
2. they are not verbal

If they do not have a comprehensive oculo-visual assessment until such a time when they complain, it may be too late to get their vision or visual abilities back to normal. Even young children have been shown not to complain even though their vision is significantly reduced from normal/typical.

Children might be nervous about their eye exam. Rest assured that all of our team members including our optometrists have experience examining children and can put them at ease. It’s critical to give them a positive and comfortable impression of optometrists early in life so they feel comfortable coming for regular appointments.

If your child does need glasses, we offer a wide selection of colours and styles to help them smile and see clearly.

Book their appointment today to set them up for success—and a lifetime of healthy vision.

Children’s Vision Issues & Stages of Sight

There are several vision conditions that develop in childhood and even some that are congenital but not easily detected by non-eye doctor health practitioners. Our skilled optometrists can diagnose and recommend treatment for a variety of children’s vision issues, including the following.

Myopia (Nearsightedness) – Poorer Distance Vision

Myopia (nearsightedness) can be congenital or start in infancy, and can progress, at times rapidly, over childhood and adolescence, particularly during “growth spurts”. High myopia increases the risks of more serious conditions later on, and children with undiagnosed myopia can struggle in school.

If caught early on, children can wear corrective eyewear that will allow them to develop proper vision and eye functioning. Research & developments over the last decade now empower optometrists to slow or even halt the progression of myopia using various forms of treatments. These treatments can result in significantly lower final end-point prescriptions and therefore lowered risks for high-myopia-related diseases and eye conditions like glaucoma, macular degeneration, and retinal detachements. Children with early onset myopia as well as those with parents and/or other family members with high myopia have a greater likelihood of developing high myopia.

Strabismus (Crossed Eyes)

A muscle condition known as strabismus is usually the culprit when the eyes are crossed, uncrossed or otherwise misaligned. It generally means the eyes are not looking in the same direction, and are therefore not seeing the same thing. Sometimes, the condition is clearly evident as one eye is turned in a different direction. In some cases, there is a micro-strabismus, which is not easy visible to parents and other caregivers. Even small misalignments can result in poor vision and binocular development and if not detected, diagnosed, and treated early, can result in permanently reduced vision and/or visual functioning.

Strabismus does not get better on its own and requires intervention from an optometrist to rectify.

Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)

Amblyopia, also known as a lazy eye, is a condition where one eye has reduced vision that is not correctable to corrective lenses (glasses or contact lenses).

It can occur when:

1. There is a large difference in prescription between the eyes
2. There is a strabismus
3. There is something blocking one of the eyes from getting clear vision, like a congenital cataract)
4. There is a high amount of hyperopia (far sightedness) in both eyes

All of the aforementioned conditions except for large visible strabismus, will go undetected, and if not corrected before age 3-4, will likely result in a permanently poor functioning eye. The aforementioned list results in a poor or no image reaching the visual centre of the brain responsible for interpreting the visio from that eye. If this centre is not allowed to receive clear vision during the crucial firs 0-5 years after birth, it will not learn how to interpret clear images, so even if detecetd at or after age 5 and corrective lenses are employed and a clear image is now sent to that centre, it does not know how to “see clearly” and is no longer able to learn how to. Amblyopia is one of the most preventable forms of vision loss, but only if caught early (before age 5)

Treatment, such as patching the good eye and forcing the brain to connect with the weaker one, can typically resolve this condition if started before age 3-4.

Convergence Insufficiency

When blurry or double vision is present, convergence insufficiency may be the reason. Convergence insufficiency occurs when the eyes do not align and don’t work together while looking at nearby objects or up-close work.

An eye exam is imperative to detect convergence insufficiency, as it occasionally presents without visual cues.

How Do I Know If My Child Needs Glasses?

If they are experiencing a vision issue, children are often unable to articulate the problem—they might not even know there is a problem. Unlike adults, children have not established a baseline of what proper vision looks like for them.

Bringing your child for regular eye exams can help establish that baseline. We can help detect any vision problems early on. Book their appointment today!