At What Age Can a Child Go to the Optometrist?

14-11-2019

As a parent, you want to make sure that all of your child’s needs are taken care of, and that includes their eye health. Whether your child is a newborn, toddler, or school-aged, you might wonder at what age a child can go to the eye doctor.

At what age can a child go to the optometrist?

If your child isn’t showing any signs of vision issues, you can take your child to see an optometrist at as young as 6 months old for their first comprehensive eye exam.

When taking your child to the optometrist at 6 months of age, the optometrist will test for astigmatism, farsightedness, nearsightedness, and eye movement patterns. The optometrist will also look for any potential eye health problems that may cause your child to need vision correction.

How often should you take your child to the eye doctor?

After your child’s first eye exam at 6 months of age, how often you should take your child to see an optometrist depends on their age. We recommend them having an eye exam at least once between ages 2 and 5, preferably at the age of 3.

Once your child reaches school age, around 6 years old, it would be a good idea to take them to see the eye doctor every year. This is in addition to the vision screenings that may happen at your child’s school. Don’t rely solely on vision screenings since comprehensive eye exams can pinpoint vision health problems that vision screenings can’t.

Summary: When does a child need to see an optometrist?

A comprehensive eye exam is a great way to keep tabs on your child’s vision and find out if glasses are needed. How often your child should go to the eye doctor depends on your child’s age and eye health concerns.

So, at what age should a child go to the optometrist?

6 months old
3 years old
6 to 19 years old

Don’t be afraid to take your child to the eye doctor. The earlier your child’s vision is checked, the earlier you can start correcting your child’s eyesight if there are problems.