Here at Johnson Optometric, we cater our eye care services to all members of the family. In particular, we love working with children to diagnose and treat pediatric eye health concerns. In fact, pediatric eye care is one of our practice specialties and distinguishing features.
- We are not only optometrists and technicians; we are parents and grandparents. Within our own family life as well as from our pediatric patients, we are highly familiar with the pediatric age group and all of the joys and challenges involved.
- We have special diagnostic instruments geared towards examining children’s eyes and are experienced in using them – with both cooperative and uncooperative juvenile patients.
- For children not yet comfortable with reading letters, we have picture charts to use in vision assessment. This makes children feel more comfortable and at ease during the examination.
- We make family scheduling easy by offering multiple appointments in adjoining time slots. A great solution for large families with multiple children.
Our extensive experience with pediatric patients provides a high level of knowledge in pediatric eye problems and we understand how to interact with children to ensure their comprehensive eye exam is a positive experience. After fully exploring the medical and vision history of both the child and the family, we also explore potential vision risks related to the child’s activities and interests. Only then do we begin the physical exam and diagnosis. Once a diagnosis is complete, we educate both the parents and child on the problems at hand and options for correction. If corrective glasses or contact lenses are required, we also educate the children on proper care for these items.
As a part of pediatric eye exams, we highly recommend dilating children’s eyes in order to get the most accurate reading for their prescription. While eye drops may cause some short-lived discomfort for your child, it is far less uncomfortable than spending the entire school year unable to keep up with the rest of their classmates. If you think your child will be anxious about eye drops, here are a few tips for helping them through the experience:
- Set a calm tone by making eye drops seem insignificant
- Provide reassurance by holding their hand during the exam
- For inquisitive kids, present the eye drops as a neat new experience
- For nervous kids, consider a fun incentive for being good during the exam such as going out for ice cream afterwards
Pediatric eye exams bring your child’s vision into focus and create a basis for lifelong eye health. By selecting the right eye doctor, your child will be ready to tackle anything within their sight.
