You want the best for your kids. From their oral to overall health, you want to support them so that they live long, healthy lives and reach their potential. By supporting their visual health, you are setting them up for success in school and long into adulthood. To help you get started, we’ve prepared this blog on children’s vision care in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Regular eye exams are an essential part of children’s vision care, helping identify conditions such as lazy eye, crossed eyes, nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism early. Because vision can change as children grow, ongoing exams can support healthy visual development and clear sight for school and daily activities. For personalized pediatric eye care in Knoxville, choose Hardin Valley Eyecare.
Children’s Vision Care: The Basics
Scheduling an eye exam is as important for your children’s vision care as their routine doctor and dentist visits. A school vision screening can help catch certain problems with their eyes and vision. However, scheduling an appointment with an eye doctor in Knoxville, TN, is the best way for them to receive in-depth eye care that checks for a broad range of issues.
Common eye problems in children include:
- Amblyopia
- Strabismus
- Refractive errors
Also known as lazy eye, amblyopia can seem minor at first but indicates poor vision. If left untreated, it can result in permanent vision loss. It is often treated by patching the healthy eye, which forces the brain to use and strengthen the weaker eye. Strabismus, or crossed eyes, is a physical misalignment that causes the eyes not to point in the same direction. Strabismus is treated with prescription glasses, vision therapy, or eye muscle surgery.
Refractive errors can be broken down into three different types:
- Myopia (nearsightedness)
- Hyperopia (farsightedness)
- Astigmatism
Myopia makes it difficult for children to focus on objects that are far away. Hyperopia, on the other hand, causes children to have problems focusing on objects that are nearby. Astigmatism is when the surface of the eye has an abnormal curve, making it more difficult for your child to see. All three of these conditions can be treated with corrective lenses at Hardin Valley Eyecare & Optical.
Children’s Eye Care in Knoxville, Tennessee
At Hardin Valley Eyecare & Optical, we have been providing the highest quality pediatric eye care to children of all ages since 2009. We serve the Hardin Valley and the surrounding Knoxville community to treat a broad range of eye:
- Problems
- Diseases
- Injuries
Dr. Travis Thompson, Dr. Catherine Abbott, and the rest of our team work together to provide children’s vision care that protects and supports their eyesight.
Here at our office, you will find the latest in state-of-the-art diagnostic tools. We also offer the latest eyeglass frames from the hottest brands, including Jimmy Choo, Michael Kors, and Kate Spade. You will also find the most stylish sunglass frames from Ray-Ban and Maui Jim. Ask us about our wide range of contacts, including daily contact lenses, if you want to go frames-free.
How Quickly Can a Child’s Vision Change?
Much like their height, the vision of school-age children can change dramatically as they get older. For example, both their depth perception and ability to focus their eyes get stronger in elementary school. As their ability to focus their vision strengthens, it becomes more important to watch out for signs of trouble early on so they don’t develop long-lasting eye problems later.
Some of the greatest risks to a child’s eyes occur between the ages of two and five. This is when they face a significant risk of eye conditions such as lazy eye or crossed eyes.
Children’s vision care, like pediatric eye exams, is the best way to catch these issues. It also helps to watch out for signs of children’s eye problems, such as squinting or tilting their head to see better.
Can a Child’s Vision Improve with Age?
Once diagnosed, some parents wonder if their child will always need to wear glasses or contact lenses in order to see clearly. It’s possible for children to outgrow some eye health problems as they get older. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.
On the bright side, children can lead very productive lives despite refractive errors or other eye health problems that they may have. With consistent children’s vision care, they’ll receive the support they need for the best vision possible.
Eye problems that children may grow out of include:
- Farsightedness
- Astigmatism
- Esotropia
Children can outgrow their farsightedness thanks to their eyes growing longer as they get older. This causes their eyes to no longer be too short and corrects their problems seeing nearby objects. Getting older can also correct astigmatism in certain cases. However, this usually only happens if the child has a slight astigmatism and isn’t farsighted or nearsighted.
Esotropia is a common children’s eye problem that causes one or both eyes to turn inward. It looks similar to crossed eyes and is caused by their attempt to focus their vision. Some children outgrow the condition, but it can take several years for this to happen. This usually occurs between the ages of nine and 12, although some kids will still require corrective lenses.
Choose Hardin Valley Eyecare for Your Child’s Vision
Hardin Valley Eyecare & Optical offers attentive children’s vision care for families in Hardin Valley and the greater Knoxville area. Dr. Travis Thompson and Dr. Catherine Abbott use modern diagnostic technology to evaluate eye health, vision development, alignment, movement, and refractive errors in children of all ages.
Our exams are adapted to each child’s age and abilities, including kid-friendly testing for children who are not yet reading. We also provide treatment guidance for concerns such as amblyopia, nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. We offer durable NanoVista frames and daily contact-lens options to support your child’s vision.
Routine eye exams play an important role in children’s vision care by helping detect concerns such as lazy eye, eye alignment problems, nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Since a child’s vision can change as they grow, regular exams help protect healthy visual development. For trusted pediatric eye care in Knoxville, visit Hardin Valley Eyecare.
Hardin Valley Eyecare & Optical has been serving Knoxville since 2009. Located at 10904 Spring Bluff Way, you can schedule an appointment online or give us a call at (865) 888-0892.
