Children's Vision

At Specialeyes Newcastle, we love looking after children’s vision. We believe that great vision starts at an early age. Children receive over 80% of information about their world through their eyes and that’s why it’s so important to pick up any vision issues that may affect their development and learning.

Click here to watch our American friend Dr John Abbondanza, beautifully explaining Vision Related Learning Problems in this short video.

Your child’s first eye examination

We recommend that your child’s first eye examination take place at 6 months of age, with a follow up eye examination at age 3. Subsequent eye exams should take place prior to your child starting school and following that, every 2 years. If we detect any ongoing vision or eye health issues, or if there is a family history of vision problems, we will recommend a more frequent eye exam schedule for your child.

Our 30-plus years of experience caring for children’s eyes means that our optometrist team, led by Susan Walton OAM, makes sure that your child’s eye examination will be a positive experience – and even a little bit of fun!

What happens during my child’s eye examination?

Our comprehensive eye examination for your child at Specialeyes Newcastle takes around 30 minutes. We always recommend that Mum, Dad or a special carer stay in the consultation room but to avoid distraction, it is helpful if siblings can wait in our waiting room (and enjoy our toys and books).

During your child’s eye examination, we will:

  • Talk to you about your child’s health history and any specific eye health or vision concerns you may have
  • Test your child’s binocular vision or how the eyes work together as a coordinated team
  • Check for eye disorders such as hyperopia (far-sightedness), myopia (near-sightedness) and amblyopia (lazy eye) which can occur in early childhood and affect your child’s ability to learn
  • Measure your child’s prescription to determine whether glasses are required
  • Discuss any additional vision therapy exercises or programs that may assist your child’s vision
  • Talk to you and your child about good vision habits, including an eye-healthy diet, which will keep their eyes performing at their best, now and into the future.

If your child requires additional assessment by us such as dilating eye drops, we will make a follow up appointment.

You can make an online appointment for your child’s eye examination at Specialeyes Newcastle by clicking on our Book Appointment button – and you can choose the date and time that best suits your child.

For the visual system to be functioning at tip-top level, a range of visual skills are needed and they include:

  • The eyes being able to work together to follow a line of print (called ‘eye tracking’)
  • The eyes being able to work together at both near and far distances (called ‘eye teaming’)
  • The eyes being able to focus together in a controlled way
  • The eyes blending images simultaneously (called ‘binocular vision’)
  • The skills of visual perception – such as visualising and sequencing information and images.