Gentle and Comprehensive Vision Care for Kids
What Is Special about Children’s Vision?
Vision is the global ability of the brain to extract, process, and act on information presented to the eye. This complex process can be thought of as three major but related areas: visual acuity, which is largely dependent upon the refractive status and eye health; ‘visual efficiency skills’, representing eye focusing, teaming, and tracking skills; and ‘visual information processing’, representing the ability to recognize and discriminate visual stimuli and to interpret them correctly based upon previous experience. Every examination, we provide for children, regardless of the child’s age, has these thoughts in mind.
Infants
Our eye examinations start in early infancy and continue through the school years. Although young children may not be able to read an eye chart, specialized procedures, have been developed that allow us to measure the clarity of sight of children at almost any age.
“The American Optometric Association guidelines recommend that all children have a complete vision and eye health examination at the age of 6 months, 3 years, upon entering kindergarten, and routine vision care (every year) thereafter throughout their school years.” (http://www.aoa.org)
School Performance
Many vision problems can be corrected more easily with early diagnosis and treatment. Reports have estimated that up to 25% of students in grades K – 6 have vision-related problems, which may contribute to poor school performance. The visual system matures rapidly during the first few years, and it is important to identify any problems that may interfere with normal vision development.
Eye Examinations for Infants, Toddlers, and School-aged Children
A comprehensive eye examination will assess visual acuity, refractive status, ocular health, eye tracking, eye focusing, and eye teaming. Visual acuity measures how clearly a child sees objects. Refractive status measures for nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism. The child is evaluated for any eye health problems, including active pathology or congenital anomalies.
Eye tracking is the ability of the eyes to fixate, smoothly follow and look between objects or printed words. Eye focusing is the ability to efficiently change and sustain focus while reading. Eye teaming is the ability to coordinate both eyes accurately and without fatigue or excessive effort. Accurate eye teaming is also important for accurate two-eyed depth perception or stereopsis. Early detection and management are recommended to prevent vision loss or eye disease and to provide appropriate vision development.
Hand – Eye Coordination
As part of the visual examination, we can also assess vision development. Young children use vision to explore the world by identifying and directing movement. If a problem in vision is preventing adequate development of perception and eye-hand coordination skills, then early intervention is vital.
Pediatric Vision Care
At Rancho Santa Fe Optometry, we believe that every phase of a child’s life comes with its unique visual demands. That’s why we proudly offer specialized vision examinations tailored for infants, preschoolers, and school-aged children. Our comprehensive eye exams delve deep into assessing visual skills, ensuring that every facet of your child’s vision evaluated. And for those who need it, our vision therapy provides therapeutic options tailored to individual needs. We don’t just stop at exams; our optical services are state-of-the-art, ensuring that every child walks away seeing the world more clearly. Trust us for a pediatric eye exam that’s thorough, compassionate, and backed by expertise. At Rancho Santa Fe Optometry, we take care of your child’s vision needs now and for their future.
Opening Hours
Monday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Examination by appointment
Doctors Timetable
Rancho Santa Fe Optometry offers comprehensive eye examinations for all ages. The office also provides therapy to remediate problems found.