pediatric eye care
Dr. Pitts is trained to see children of all ages. Children should have their first eye exam by age 2 and every year thereafter. As much as 80 percent of what a child learns is acquired through vision, and comprehensive eye exams are critical to revealing potential problems. Don’t worry if your little one doesn’t know their letters, we have ways of determining if a prescription is needed and are still able to assess the health of their eyes.
My child passed their exam at the pediatrician/school. Why should I have their vision checked? They aren’t complaining.
Young children typically don’t complain about their vision because they think everyone sees the way they see. Vision checks done at the pediatrician and school are screenings and not to be confused with a comprehensive exam.
They are typically performed by a technician or volunteer at school in an easily distractible atmosphere. Most screenings only test distance vision. A comprehensive eye exam by someone trained in developmental optometry will test the overall health of the eye along with distance & near vision and the eyes’ ability to team and track.
What is different about a pediatric eye exam?
A routine eye exam evaluates the overall health of the eye and the need for your child to wear glasses to help them see the board or paper in school. Our team assess these things ALONG WITH the how the eyes work together as a team, how your child’s eyes move while reading/tracking a ball, and the ease in which the eyes focus from near to far. This can have huge effects on a child’s learning and sports performance. When a child is struggling unnecessarily, this can result in being mislabeled as learning disabled (such as dyslexia) or having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Dr. Pitts has spent many years gaining knowledge and experience in testing and treating children and adults with vision related learning problems. She is an associate member of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development. Being a mom herself, Dr. Pitts understands the importance of being an advocate for children and giving them the tools they need to succeed in the future.