Kids on the coast

The obvious question is what can you test for at 6 months?

There are several things, but primarily glaucoma and retinoblastoma are ruled out, the prescription is checked and we do our best to make sure there is not a turn in the eyes. The two diseases above can cause total blindness but are often unknown to most parents.

Turns in the eyes and severe long-sightedness can also be treated. The younger the patient, the easier it is to correct. If a turn in the eyes is found at six months to a year old, often this can be fixed via contact lenses, which are put in by the optometrist and worn by the child for a month at a time. Trying to get a six year old baby to wear glasses is often impossible.

If the turn is detected later, then often the child will require surgery or patching of an eye to help the now “lazy” eye to see properly. All of which could have been averted by spending 20 minutes checking a child through a bulk billed eye exam.

The majority of children checked are fine.

In terms of actual statistics, Looking Smart Optometrists gives glasses to approximately 10% of children tested. If a child does end up getting glasses, they are often excited as the range of glasses is extensive these days and they can choose their colours and styles.

There are also children who come in who want glasses but do not require them. A technique called objective testing is used with specialised machinery and equipment that can get the answers often without the patient saying a word.

How it’s done

One of these pieces of machinery is called an autorefractor. This uses a non visible and painless laser to measure the exact size of the eye, and therefore tells the optometrist whether the eye is longer/shorter than normal (Long/Short Sighted) or whether it is wider (Astigmatism).

These devices are very expensive but invaluable on children who cannot give correct answers, and most adults love them as well. Often the most frustrating thing about the old style of eye test is the time taken to give the right answers on which lens is “better”.

To find out a prescription for glasses in under 20 seconds of just sitting still, is amazing to a lot of our patients.

On another note, 30% of children get some type of exercise to be done to improve co-ordination or to get them to work their eyes in a more efficient manner. This can often make the difference from good to great performance in school.

Either way, it is good to have confirmed that your child’s eyesight is OK!

The information contained in this article is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for individual professional medical advice from your physician or qualified health care provider.