My kids are 7 & 9 and have never been to see an optometrist because they have passed all eye screenings thus far, both at school and at all well baby visits with our pediatrician. I have never had any cause for concern, but was recently told I was being a neglectful parent for not taking my kids to get their eyes checked. Have I?! Yikes! I got my eyes checked recently and asked the optometrist about my kids and she said not to worry unless my ped. was concerned. I did a search and found the article below. There seem to be differing views. I tend to have the "better safe than sorry" philosophy so I guess it's time to look into eye doctor visits.

Eye Examinations

By Jackie on Monday, August 29, 2005 - 05:27 pm:

We only take Elizabeth, simply because she had an eye that turned in. We brought it up to the dr when she was 4. He said he couldnt see any problem, but refered us over to the eye dr. Im glad we went because not only did she have a lazy eye, she couldnt see close up. We would of never have known. Granted she was 4 at the time, and Im guessing thats what she thought was normal. Shes been wearing glasses for 2 yrs now. She goes every 6 months for an eye check up. We go to the eye dr that is an MD, not and OD, which I like better.

By Kaye on Monday, August 29, 2005 - 05:43 pm:

I took all of mine in for different reasons. But at about 1st grade we started doing yearly eye checks. My middle son has JRA, there can be eye issues so he goes in in every 6 months. My children have never failed a school or ped eye check, but both of my older two needed glasses via the eye doc. My middle kid was 20/20 a year ago and now has a pretty significant prescription. Ya just never know!

By Tink on Monday, August 29, 2005 - 06:13 pm:

Mine went for the first time a couple of months ago. My girls' eyes were perfect, like dh's. DS needed glasses and has adjusted well to wearing them. He and I have the exact same prescription, -1.75 in our right eye, -1.50 in our left. I felt terrible until I realized that our prescription is so mild that it really wasn't affecting his school performance or causing headaches.

I don't trust school screenings since my sister passed hers and her eyesight was so bad that she is now legally blind without her lenses. She just memorized what the children in front of her had done. My oldest dd also passed her hearing screening in school, even though her eardrum had just burst, due to an undiagnosed ear infection.

By Dawnk777 on Monday, August 29, 2005 - 06:36 pm:

Emily had some minor problem with her eyes and saw a pediatric opthalmologist at 5 months old! LOL! Then, didn't go again, until she was in 5th grade. Both of my kids failed an eye exam in 5th grade and had to get glasses. Now, they go once a year, or so, and have always needed new glasses.

By Annie2 on Monday, August 29, 2005 - 06:39 pm:

I don't trust school screenings either. Last year I took my 10 year old to a meeting at school which they were using an overhead projector. I asked her what line number 3 said and she replied " I don't know, I can't see it"!!!.

She was a A student at the time, too. I took her to the eye dr's and she was a minus 250. When she wore her new glasses home in the car she stated; "I never have seen leaves in the trees before, they used to be one big blob". I felt like I gave her the gift of sight!

In a year and a half she has gone to a 275 and now wears contacts. I have since tested all of my kids. No one else needs correction. I just turned 40 this year and still have perfect vision but dh is blind as a bat!

By Luvn29 on Monday, August 29, 2005 - 08:07 pm:

My son had to go as a newborn because we had to check for damage done to his eyes because of jaundice treatment.

He hasn't been back yet, but so far there has been no problems with him seeing things.

My daughter went a year ago, because I could tell she was nearsighted. She was having headaches, sitting close to the television, squinting, etc.

I had to get glasses when I was in Kindy, and she takes after me in every way.

So, she had to get glasses in first grade and it made such a difference.

Eye doctor laughed and said she took everything after me, including my eye shape!

Depending on your school, I wouldn't necessary trust their eye exams. My daughter passed them.

By Dawnk777 on Monday, August 29, 2005 - 08:17 pm:

I got glasses myself, when I was 5. DH was older. Probably closer to the kids' ages when they finally got glasses. I got glasses young enough that I really didn't know what I was missing. I remember one time getting new glasses and being able to see the electric wires better.

By Heaventree on Monday, August 29, 2005 - 08:40 pm:

I took Matt in at 6 months only because I was in when I was pregnant and they had a sign in reception saying 6 months is when you should start. He it was a relief to find out that Matt was healthy as they can detect other diseases through the eyes. He did notice that Matt has a slight Astigmatism (sp?), which is also good to know, we can now keep an eye on it.

By Karen~moderator on Monday, August 29, 2005 - 08:46 pm:

I took mine but crossed eyes run in my family - Jeff had 5 eye surgeries. Took Jen too, and she is nearsighted.

By My3cuties on Monday, August 29, 2005 - 08:59 pm:

Dh and I are both near-sighted. Does that mean that our girls will be too?

Katelyn's 3 year eye exam from her doctor turned out fine. But now I wonder if I should take her to an eye doctor. Good thing my BIL works at an eye place here in town (she won't be so nervous), I will probably be taking her soon.

By Missmudd on Tuesday, August 30, 2005 - 12:06 am:

I am legally blind without correction, I literally cant see more than 2 inches in front of my eyes without my glasses. By some fantastic miracle all 4 boys got there dad's vision. I have taken the oldest in when he failed his eye exam, but that was just cause he wasnt paying attention during the screening. The others I dont worry about because they point to things that I can barely see in the distance W/ my glasses. If it makes you feel better I would take them but I wouldnt really worry about it.

By Eve on Tuesday, August 30, 2005 - 07:46 am:

I hardly call not taking the kids to see an eye Dr. neglectful. I think whomever said that to you, needs to get out more!

I would never have thought about taking DD in for a special trip, unless her Ped. advised us to. Both, DH and myself wear glasses, but I never needed mine until adulthood, so it never would have crossed my mind unless I was seeing signs that she needed to be seen.

I think you are right, it can't hurt to take them. I certainly wouldn't feel badly about not doing it until now though.

By Ginny~moderator on Tuesday, August 30, 2005 - 09:11 am:

What does the pediatrician say? I know they can do some basic vision screening at most ped offices. I agree, I don't think the school screening is worth much.

I am one who kept complaining to the ped that my oldest was cross-eyed, and the ped kept saying "he just has a broad nose - you're an overanxious mother". Right on the second count, wrong on the first. I finally took him to an opthalmologist at age 3, and he was so farsighted he was indeed crosseyed, and couldn't see anything closer than 6 feet clearly. Glasses, new pediatrician.

I started wearing glasses when I was 8 and have worn them since (nearsighted). Between my experience and my son's, I can tell you that if a child has vision problems the child probably doesn't know, but if you observe you may get some clues. I can also tell you that if/when a child has a vision problem and it is resolved, it makes a truly marvelous difference to the child's worldview.

By Melanie on Tuesday, August 30, 2005 - 09:55 am:

I have never taken any of our kids. They have always passed the test from their pediatrician. Neither dh nor I wear glasses and I just haven't felt the need. LOL, I often have them helping me look for road signs and they read them from pretty far away...isn't that a good test?? Perhaps we should take them in just because "you never know." Good question!

By Kay on Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - 04:16 pm:

Mine have been seeing an ophthalmologist (I prefer an MD) since they were about 7. I failed my school vision test in 4th grade, and that was the first time my mom took me to an ophthalmologist - she said she felt like crying when I put glasses on for the first time and said "Is this how everybody else sees things? Wow!"

I'm terribly nearsighted - my dh has great vision. None of our kids need glasses.

By Boxzgrl on Thursday, September 1, 2005 - 03:31 pm:

DD hasn't gone yet. I need to take her. She has one eye she tends to keep closed a bit more than usual. Both my Mom and her sitter mentioned it to me. I took her to the dr. who just dismissed it as "normal" but i'm going to call back and request a referral to a pediatric opthalmalogist (sp?).