Why should your child regularly see the eye doctor?

I recently saw an 8yo girl for her first eye examination. She had been complaining about blurred vision in her right eye so her mom scheduled a visit. Because there was no family history of eye disease, no previous visual complaint, or no cosmetic concerns (such as an eye turn), her parents had no apparent reason to schedule an eye examination. During her initial work up, we noted that she could only see light and some peripheral movement with her right eye. The left eye was normal aside from some mild nearsightedness. During the dilated part of the examination, a large central scar was noted in the retina. This scar was determined to be inflammatory in nature possibly from a past virus or toxoplasmosis. If this was diagnosed during the inflammatory stage, treatment could have been administered to possibly allow for a better visual outcome. Without any eye health history or documentation, it becomes difficult to determine how long a condition has been going on and where to begin with treatment. While there are future risks for her such as reactivation of a virus or a retinal detachment, this condition is unlikely to progress. Vision cannot be restored in the right eye at this point. I hope to encourage all parents to have your children’s eye checked at 6-9 months, 3 years, and 5years even if there are no visual complaints or history. Routine eye health exams are important for many reasons beyond 20/20. - Dr. Amanda Barker-Assell