Pediatric Eye Care

To protect your child’s long-term vision and eye health, you should schedule routine eye exams starting around six months old. At VistaSite Vision Center, experienced optometrist Tatsiana Palavets, OD, offers complete pediatric eye care services for infants, adolescents, and young adults, using advanced technologies to evaluate your child’s visual acuity and identify early signs of eye diseases and disorders. Call the office in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, to schedule a pediatric eye care appointment, or book one online today.

What is pediatric eye care?

Pediatric eye care focuses on protecting the eye health of children. VistaSite Vision Center provides comprehensive services to assess your child’s visual acuity and identify potentially serious eye diseases and disorders.

Early intervention of pediatric eye conditions ensures your child gets the treatment they need to prevent complications like vision loss.

When should I schedule a pediatric eye care appointment?

Children should have a comprehensive eye exam by the age of six months. You should schedule their next appointment around the age of three and then another visit before your child starts school.

The VistaSite Vision Center providers typically recommend that school-aged children have an eye exam every two years. If they wear glasses or contact lenses or have existing eye conditions, they may need to schedule a visit once a year or more frequently.

You should also schedule a diagnostic evaluation if your child has unusual symptoms of an eye condition or vision problem. Some issues to look for include:

• Eye pain
• Squinting
• Persistent eye rubbing
• Redness or irritation
• Excessive tearing

Your child may also need an optometry consultation if they have difficulty reading or completing schoolwork, as vision issues can interfere with a child’s ability to learn.

What happens during a pediatric eye care appointment?

During your child’s pediatric eye care appointment at VistaSite Vision Center, their provider reviews their personal and family health histories to identify risk factors for eye diseases.

In infants, the provider tracks your child’s eye movements and pupil response to bright lights. As part of an eye exam in older children, they check for common pediatric eye diseases or conditions, including:

• Lazy eye (amblyopia)
• Color blindness
• Poor depth perception
• Crossed eyes (strabismus)

They use special instruments to view the structures in the back of your child’s eye to assess their overall eye health. They also measure your child’s visual acuity to determine if they need prescription glasses or contact lenses.

If your child has any underlying issues, their VistaSite Vision Center provider customizes a treatment plan to improve their eye health and protect their vision.

Schedule a pediatric eye care consultation online or call the VistaSite Vision Center office today.