Reviewed By Dr. Jodi Kuhn
Reading time: 4 minutes
Clear vision helps children learn, play, read, and explore the world around them. Many eye problems are easier to manage when they are found early, which is why timing matters. Parents often wait until a child complains about blurry vision, but young children may not know how to explain what they see. A first eye exam gives us a clearer picture of how the eyes are developing.
We provide eye care for children and adults at our locations in Denver, Aurora and Thornton. We accept Medicaid!
Dental and Vision Care in One Convenient Location
At our Denver and Aurora locations, Youth Dentistry & Orthodontics and Youth Vision are conveniently located in the same building. This means your child can receive both dental and vision care at one familiar location, without extra travel or scheduling stress.
Table of Contents
The Best Time for a Child’s First Eye Exam
Children should have their first comprehensive eye exam between 6 and 12 months of age. This first visit checks how the eyes are developing, how well they work together, and whether anything needs closer monitoring.
A helpful eye exam timeline is:
- 6 to 12 months: First comprehensive eye exam
- Age 3 to 5: At least one exam before kindergarten
- Before first grade: A full exam before school becomes more visually demanding
- School age: Regular exams based on vision needs, eye health, and risk factors
Some children need to be seen sooner than this timeline. If you notice eye turning, tracking problems, unusual eye appearance, frequent squinting, or other concerns, schedule an eye exam rather than waiting for the next milestone.
Why Early Childhood Eye Exams Matter
Early childhood is an important time for visual development. During these years, the eyes and brain learn to work together. If one eye sees more clearly than the other, or if the eyes do not align well, a child may adapt without realizing anything is wrong.
An eye exam can help check for concerns such as:
- Nearsightedness
- Farsightedness
- Astigmatism
- Eye alignment problems
- Eye focusing concerns
- Lazy eye
- Eye health concerns
- Tracking or teaming issues
These concerns can affect reading, coordination, depth perception, school readiness, and comfort during close-up tasks.
Vision Screening vs. Eye Exam
A vision screening is helpful, but it is not the same as a comprehensive eye exam. Screenings are usually brief checks done at a pediatrician’s office, school, daycare, or community event.
A screening may catch some vision problems, but it can miss others. A full eye exam gives us more information about how the eyes focus, move, work together, and support clear vision.
Signs a Child Should Be Seen Earlier
Do not wait for a routine timeline if something about your child’s eyes or vision seems off. Babies, toddlers, and young children may show vision problems through behavior rather than words.
Schedule an eye exam earlier if you notice:
- One eye turning in or out
- Poor eye tracking
- A white, cloudy, or unusual-looking pupil
- Eyes that shake or move oddly
- Frequent squinting
- Covering one eye
- Holding books or screens very close
- Sitting close to the TV
- Frequent eye rubbing
- Headaches
- Light sensitivity
- Trouble catching, reaching, or judging distance
- Avoiding reading or close-up tasks
- Losing place while reading
- Complaints of blurry or double vision
A child may also need earlier or more frequent exams if they were born prematurely, have a developmental delay, have certain medical conditions, had an eye injury, or have a family history of childhood eye disease, lazy eye, strong glasses prescriptions, or eye turns.
What Happens During a Child’s Eye Exam?
A child’s eye exam is adjusted for their age and comfort level. Babies and toddlers do not need to read letters from a chart for us to learn useful information about their eyes.
Depending on your child’s age, the visit may include checks for:
- How the eyes respond to light
- Eye alignment
- Eye movement
- Focusing ability
- Signs of nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism
- How well each eye is seeing
- Overall eye health
For older children, we may also ask about reading, schoolwork, sports, headaches, screen use, and whether vision seems blurry up close or far away. The goal is to understand how your child uses their vision in everyday life, not just whether they can read a chart.
Eye Care for Children, Teens, and Adults at Youth Vision
Youth Vision helps children, teens, and adults with eye care in a family-friendly setting. We can perform eye exams, check for vision changes, evaluate eye comfort, and help identify concerns that may affect school, sports, reading, screen use, or daily activities.
If your child has never had an eye exam, failed a vision screening, needs glasses, or has symptoms that concern you, we can help you understand what is going on and what steps may be needed next.
Schedule Your Child’s Eye Exam
If your child has not yet had a comprehensive eye exam, Youth Vision can evaluate their vision and eye development in a comfortable, family-friendly setting.
To schedule an eye exam, contact the location most convenient for you:
Phone: (303) 825-2295
Phone: (303) 343-3133
Phone: (303) 450-0184
FAQs
Do babies really need eye exams?
Babies can have eye focusing, alignment, or health concerns even when their eyes look normal. A first exam between 6 and 12 months helps check early visual development.
Can my child pass a vision screening and still need an eye exam?
A screening is a helpful check, but it is not as complete as an eye exam. If your child has headaches, squinting, eye rubbing, reading trouble, or blurry vision, schedule an exam even if they passed a screening.
How do I know if my child cannot see well?
Watch for squinting, sitting close to screens, holding books close, covering one eye, frequent eye rubbing, headaches, losing place while reading, or trouble seeing the board at school.
