Why Do You Need a Children's Eye Specialist?

Seeing a children’s eye specialist, either a pediatric ophthalmologist or a pediatric optometrist, is an essential part of taking care of your child’s overall health. Children often can’t tell you or don’t realize if something’s wrong with their eyes.

A children’s eye specialist can detect vision or eye health problems early so they don’t impact your child’s sight, learning, or eye health. 

Pediatric ophthalmologists and pediatric optometrists are eye care professionals specially trained to detect, treat, and work with young people. Children are not simply small adults, and providers need special training to treat the most special people in your life. 

At ABC Children’s Eye Specialists, PC, in Mesa and Phoenix, Arizona, our expert and caring team of optometrists and ophthalmologists specialize in pediatrics, so you know your children are getting the best eye care support and treatment. 

Are you still unsure why you need a children’s eye specialist? Here are the top three reasons.

Learning and school performance

The inability to see the blackboard or lesson plans clearly can impact a child’s ability to learn. Often, kids don’t realize their vision is off. They may think you’re not supposed to see the blackboard so far away. 

While you can get a vision screening at your annual pediatrician office visit, pediatric eye care providers have specialized experience in performing eye exams for kids of all ages and treating vision problems that commonly affect children. 

Vision problems have the potential to affect academic performance, so getting them addressed with glasses or contacts can only benefit their future learning potential.

Children’s eye conditions

While you might not be able to detect vision problems in your child without a vision test, you may be able to spot certain conditions such as strabismus and amblyopia, which can have long-lasting effects on a child’s sight if not addressed early.

Strabismus is the medical term for misaligned eye, sometimes called lazy eye or wandering eye. Amblyopia is better known as cross-eye. Both conditions need to be addressed by a children’s eye specialist, namely a pediatric ophthalmologist, an eye doctor with a medical degree, for effective and expert treatment.

Rare but serious pediatric eye conditions

You may think cataracts and glaucoma are only for older people. While it happens rarely, children can be born with cataracts or congenital cataracts and glaucoma, which blocks the drainage of tear ducts and can lead to blindness. 

If you have a family history of certain eye diseases, a children’s eye specialist can monitor your children’s eye health to detect any early signs of problems. 

Are you ready to make an appointment with a children’s eye care specialist? Call ABC Children’s Eye Specialists, PC, to schedule one today. You can also request an appointment online through this website.