Eye Doctor - Mesa,AZ

My kids go see an opthamologist in their birth month and have since they started Kindergarten.

Glaucoma runs in my family....so for us.. it's important to get checked yearly.

Nicky has eye pain that even Johns Hopkins, MRIs and CAT scans have not been able to figure out what the cause is. So now we document and take pictures when it happens.

If poor vision runs in your family - I would start when they start school and go from there.

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In Illinois, they are required to see an eye doctor before beginning kindergarten, so my 5 year old went last summer.

I agree that it's a great idea, and I might not have thought to do that. The doctor was wonderful with my son. My son was still a little unsure of his letters, but the doctor said he is used to that. He said his vision seemed very typical for a 5 year old and told me my son had astigmatisms and recommended we come back in a year. The doctor made some notes and didn't see anything that concerned him.

It was a good experience for my son. He was a little nervous, but he should be more comfortable when we go again.

1 mom found this helpful

With your problems your children are more likely to also have vision problems. My husband and I both have had our own problems, so we are trying to be aware of our daughter to make sure she is ok.

I took her to an eye doctor when she was 5. Really wanted to take her earlier, but it never happened lol I would at least take them by 5 years, if not sooner. Better to be safe than let problems get worse!

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I took my daughter before she started kindergarten. So I did right before she turned 5. With my son I scheduled his first eye exam at the same time due to we already has the insurance and we were already going to be there. They say you can take them every other year however if I already have the insurance I take them every year. :) Also, if you notice they are having a hard time seeing or they miss picking up things and such you should take them earlier.

Well my eyes are extremely bad, as are my siblings, father, grandparents, and just about everybody on my dads side.. So my 4yo who will start pre-K this year thanks to late birthday is getting her eyes checked on Tuesday. I don't think she has problems, but sometimes she says she can't see very well.. I don't know if it's true or she hears other people say that or it could be.. But as long as they can identify their #s and or letters, she can take the test.

You have gotten some great answers and I am so glad that we are paying attention to vision more than in years past. My husband and I own a optometry practice, Carlsson Family Eye Center ###-###-#### and we specialize in children. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a childs eyes examined and not just screened at school or in a pediatrician's office. 80% of learning is visual in nature and screenings miss atleast 25% of children who have visual difficulties. We are placing more demands visually on children than at any time in the past and their eyes are not fully developed for the amount of close work that is required in our society. A good optometrist can assess an infants vision,often for free, but atleast by the time a child is 2 a child should have their eyes assessed. Good luck and feel free to check out our website www.carlssoneye.com for more information or if you would like to schedule an appointment. Good Luck!

the schools around here to eye exams when they are going into kindergarten and also i think every couple years if they miss stuff on that exam a note comes home

My son passed the school screening even though he has terrible astigmatism in one eye. Both my husband and myself started wearing glasses by 4th or 5th grade so I took him before that to have his eyes tested. He is slightly near sighted in one eye and has astigmatism in the other but he never complained about not being able to see the TV or read a book. Since you have issues, I would start no later than kindergarten and go yearly after that.

Our daughter didn't have an eye test until her 4 year old wellness check when we discovered she had a lazy eye. It would have been great to know that sooner. The sooner you start treatment with this the better chance of correction...

Especially with your history, I'd have your children's eyes checked on the earlier side... maybe 3. Or you can go to a pediatric opthamologist earlier and they can just look into your child's eyes and see if there are problems.

My son saw an ophthamologist at 6 months for a clogged tear duct and at age 4 when he failed a school vision screening. My daughter, age 8, has never seen one. She has never missed on a screening.

I took my son in the first grade (6yo). He was having trouble with writing and I realized he may need a better eye exam. He had passed the school and doctor exam. However he has an astigmatism and near sighted. The eye doctor told me that was a good age because they know their alphabet better and they understand and answer the questions better. So I will be taking my daughter just before she enters the first grade in august. Since my husband, son and I all wear glasses I figured it would be best.

My daughter's pediatrician suggested a visit to a pediatric opthalmologist at her 4 year well visit. We just went a few days ago; thankfully, everything is ok & my daughter doesn't need glasses. Insurance covered the visit, and now we have peace of mind that her eyes are fine. You can ask your kids' teachers if they seem to be having trouble seeing the board, etc. in school; also, watch them at home for squinting (sign of having trouble focusing), holding books too closely & sitting very close to the television.

The sooner the better! My daughter had a lazy eye that could have been fixed in months if we knew when she was a toddler. At age 5 it was diagnosed and took 2+ years of patching and wearing glasses to go from 20/200 to 20/40. I would go NOW. Our eye doctor is actually working with legislature to make it mandatory that all kids see a true eye doctor by age 1. She has patients that are babies who cannot speak so it is possible for her to check vision without feedback from the patient. She even fitted a prize racehorse with a contact lens. Go now, especially with your history.

Usually when they are able to identify shapes or letters is a good time to start. My husband started wearing glasses in elementary school and I in middle school. So, I too was concerned about our kids eyes. They are both teenagers and both have perfect vision. We take them every year so we don't miss anything. Even our opthamologist commented about how lucky they are especially with the family history. Take your child with you to your eye appt. and they usually let them sit in the chair etc. so it's not scary - just like the dentist does.

We never messed around with eyes. All my kids saw a pediatric ophthalmologist at birth then at 6 months, 12 months and yearly after that. I have congenital cataracts, one of my children does and 3 of my sister's kids do. We both have 4 kids. With your vision and concerns I would go now for a baseline check then yearly.