These days I was really worried about my child’s eyes. He has started moving forward and stand too close to TV while watching TV. That was really alarming sign for me to schedule an appointment with an eye specialist.

As a parent, you may wonder whether your preschooler has a vision problem or when you should schedule your child’s first eye exam.

Eye exams for children are extremely important, because 5 to 10 percent of preschoolers and 25 percent of school-aged children have vision problems. Early identification of a child’s vision problem can be crucial because children often are more responsive to treatment when problems are diagnosed early.

According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), infants should have their first comprehensive eye exam at 6 months of age. Children then should have additional eye exams at age 3, and just before they enter the first grade — at about age 5 or 6.

For school-aged children, the AOA recommends an eye exam every two years if no vision correction is required. Children who need eyeglasses or contact lenses should be examined annually or as recommended by their optometrist or ophthalmologist. The optometrist or ophthalmologist will suggest the frequency of eye exam as per the situation demands. For my son his ophthalmologist has suggested a visit after 3 months and then after each 6 months.

Early eye exams also are important because children need the following basic skills related to good eyesight for learning:

• Near vision
• Distance vision
• Binocular (two eyes) coordination
• Eye movement skills
• Focusing skills
• Peripheral awareness
• Hand-eye coordination

Early eye examinations are crucial to make sure children have normal, healthy vision so they can perform better at schoolwork or play.

When scheduling an eye exam for your child, be sure to choose a time when he or she usually is alert and happy. Specifics of how eye exams are conducted depend on your child’s age, but generally the exams will include a case history, vision testing, determination of whether eyeglasses are needed, testing of eye alignment, an eye health evaluation and, if needed, prescription of eye wear.

After you have made the appointment, you may be sent a case history form by mail, or you may be given one when you check in at the doctor’s office. The case history form will ask about your child’s birth history (also called perinatal history), including birth weight and whether or not the child was full-term.

Your eye doctor also may ask whether complications occurred during the pregnancy or delivery. Other questions will concern your child’s medical history, including current medications and past or present allergies.

Be sure to tell your eye doctor if your child has or displays any of the following:

• A history of prematurity
• Delayed motor development
• Frequent eye rubbing
• Excessive blinking
• Failure to maintain eye contact
• Inability to maintain a gaze (fixation) while looking at objects
• Poor eye tracking skills

Also, be sure to mention if your child has failed a vision screening at school or during a visit to his or her pediatrician.

Your eye doctor also will want to know about previous eye problems and treatments your child has had, such as surgeries and glasses or contact lens wear. Be sure you inform your eye doctor about any family history of eye problems requiring vision correction, such as nearsightedness or farsightedness (refractive errors), lazy eye (strabismus/amblyopia) or eye diseases.

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1. Different Eye Tests for Children at Varying Ages