Healthy vision is important for a young child’s development and early success. The mission of California Optometric Association’s Children’s Vision Team is to educate parents and ensure children receive regular comprehensive eye care.
Learn about children’s vision and discover important vision milestones, including what to look for in determining if your child has a vision problem. Vision problems in children is more common than you think!
Age-related vision development milestones that may help to decide if your child is having vision problems.
| Child's age | Asymptomatic/low risk | At-risk |
|---|---|---|
| Birth through 2 | At 6 to 12 months of age | At 6 to 12 months of age or as recommended |
| 3 through 5 | At least once between 3 and 5 years of age | At least once between 3 and 5 years of age or as recommended |
| 6 through 17 | Before first grade and annually thereafter | Before first grade and annually, or as recommended thereafter |
Comprehensive eye exams by a doctor of optometry are an important part of caring for your child’s eyes, vision, and overall all health.
Many parents do not report seeing any signs or symptoms before their child is diagnosed with a vision problem. Schedule an eye exam with an eye doctor if your child fails a vision screening or you suspect a vision problem. The eye doctor will decide if your child needs eyeglasses or other treatment. Common signs include:
Eyes that appear:
Eyes that:
Other signs:
While routine school vision screenings may appear helpful, they give parents a false sense of security as there are a range of vision problems that may be missed. In their initial stages, many vision conditions lack obvious signs or symptoms and can go completely unnoticed, causing delays in the detection and treatment of a potentially serious or life-limiting condition.
Basic vision check used to identify potential vision problems and make referrals. They do not replace the need for a comprehensive eye exam.
1. Setting:
2. How It Works:
3. Limitations:
4. Referral:
Detailed evaluations performed by eye care professionals, providing a thorough assessment of both vision and ocular health, along with the ability to diagnose and treat various eye conditions.
1. Setting:
2. How It Works:
3. What it Does:
4. What Happens Next:
The best thing to do is to schedule a full eye exam with an eye doctor:
If you’re thinking of skipping the full eye exam, keep this in mind:
After the exam, let your child’s school know you followed up. Most schools have a form that the eye doctor can fill out with the exam results.
Tune-in! Have you ever wondered what a baby can see? Or why some kids wear glasses, contacts, or even an eye patch? Or maybe what it means to be colorblind. Well, you’re in luck! Subscribe, download, and listen to COA’s newest podcast about vision and pediatric eye care – Little EyePods.
Families may be unaware of pediatric vision care benefit under the health care law:
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Chief Strategy Officer
Dr. Lance Anderson is the Chief Strategy Officer at PECAA, where he is engaged in all aspects of company strategy. He co-founded PECAA in 2007 and helped lead the organization as it grew from a small local Portland study group to a national alliance of independently owned eye care practices. He served as a board member of Rev-360 from 2015 – 2021 and helped oversee the management and successful sale of Revolution EHR, Visionary Partners, and eventually PECAA.
He earned his Doctor of Optometry degree from Pacific University in 1991. He started his own optometry practice in 1993 in Hillsboro, OR, and was able to grow the practice into a busy three-doctor clinic. He retired from clinical care in 2021 and then moved to New York City where he was tasked with helping to integrate PECAA with the HEA buying group. He recently moved to Nashville, TN where he will continue to be actively involved in creating the future vision for PECAA as it is integrated into the VSP family of businesses.
Chief Member Experience Officer
Dr. Justin Manning is the Chief Member Experience Officer at PECAA, where he leads the member experience team, encompassing member education, the Member Business Advisory services, Events, and the Cold Start program. He is the founder and host of the Practice Advantage podcast. Prior to joining PECAA, he founded The Keratoconus and Scleral Lens Institute at Bettner Vision in Colorado Springs, and eyeLeader, a consulting company focused on leadership development, technology in eyecare, and population health.
He has contributed to Review of Optometric Business and has lectured nationally and internationally on specialty contact lenses, design thinking, population health, and the patient experience. He earned his Doctor of Optometry degree from The Ohio State University and completed a residency in Geriatric Optometry at the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System in Tacoma, WA, a Master of Public Health degree at Salus University, and a graduate certificate in Customer Experience from the CU Boulder Leeds School of Business. He is driven to help all independent eye care professionals grow their businesses and enjoy their practices every single day.
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