I am blessed enough to have full medical coverage including eye exams and glasses for my family. I do not take this blessing for granted. I make sure my family is schedule for eye exams on a regular schedule. However, I also wondered if it was necessary to have my wiggly three year old tet an eye exam. For many this question is pressing because of the sheer cost of eye exams. You don’t want to pay for your child to be uncooperative, fall asleep, or all of a sudden not be able to pick out the dog in the picture.
If you have a history of eye problems or suspect a problem then set up an appointment. The sooner you are aware of a problem the better. If your child was born premature, rubs her eyes frequently, blinks frequently, has delayed motor development, shows and inability to maintain a gaze, or shows poor tracking skills, then you will want to schedule an appointment.
Some articles I have read suggest getting a child examined as young as six months or 2 or 3 years old. The sites did stress if the child is cooperative. I have a 3 year old that would thoroughly enjoy sitting in a big chair with her face pressed against medieval looking goggles picking between “1” or “2” for forty five minutes, don’t you? Unless I think there is a problem, I doubt I would make an appointment for my child at those ages. All articles agreed that children should have an eye exam by the time they are 5 years old. Five is the age that I normally set up a first eye exam. Ultimately, it is up to you to make the decision to schedule an eye appointment before five years old. I highly suggest you make one before Kindergarten.