The American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus urges parents to bring their children in for regular eye checks. This can help prevent eye issues, such as myopia, early in life. Preparing your child for the first eye exam is important for having a pleasant experience with the eye doctor. Here are the details.

Play Games Related to Eye Health

Presenting eye care in a pleasant way can help your child see it as a good thing. Play eye doctor games at home. Pretend to inspect your child’s eyes and let your child do the same to you. This can help your child understand that seeing the eye doctor does not hurt.

Set the Right Time and Date

Let the eye doctor know about your child’s health conditions and other concerns in advance. You should also choose the right time that is agreeable to your child’s schedule. Avoid scheduling the appointment during nap time. Ensure you also have an appointment when your child is not hungry or thirsty.

Practice Holding Your Child on Your Lap  

Your child will need all the comfort you can give during the first eye exam. This can help your child focus on the eye doctor, preventing distractions during the visit. You may need to practice holding toys to keep your baby focused on some exams. The eye doctor can help keep the experience positive by letting the child hold some instruments on checkup day. This can show your baby that eye checks can be fun.

Reassure Your Child

Read dentistry-related stories to your child. Be sure to explain the story part by part. This can help your child understand that eye checkups do not need needles. Some visits will need some eye drops and a little waiting. Your child can then feel better before leaving for the eye doctor. The eye doctor can use toys and games to relax your child.
Some children do not like getting eye drops. You can practice giving eye drops to stuffed toys. This can help your child see that the eye drops are safe. Practice positioning your child’s head for eye drops. This will make them feel used to preparing for eye drops on checkup day.

Bring Helpful Things

Get a bag to carry the things that can help make the eye appointment easier. Bring your child’s medical history, list of medications, and your family’s health history. This can help your eye doctor know more about your child’s eye and general health better.
 

You can also bring the following:

• Snacks, especially if you need to wait your turn at the clinic

• Your child’s favorite toy

• Sunglasses after your child needs pupil dilation

• Board games

•  Diapers

•  Drawing materials

•  List of questions

Why Eye Exams Are Important

Regular eye exams from your eye doctor can determine your child’s ability to see and eye health. Your eye doctor can help see if your child’s eye movements, distance vision, and binocular vision are in good condition. This can help your child perform better at school and in life. It can also prevent eye ailments from worsening.

Preparing your child for the first eye exam can start a good relationship between your child and your dentist. At Eye & Health Tribeca, we aim to provide comfortable and fun eye care for our young patients.

Feel free to visit our clinic in New York, New York, for an in-person consultation. Please call 212-431-4059 to set an appointment or ask about our pediatric eye exam checkups.