Pediatric Vision Screening in El Paso

Does your child squint or struggle with understanding depth and spatial awareness? These may indicate that your child is struggling with their vision, but don’t fret! Our M&C Children’s Clinic team utilizes state-of-the-art technology to identify underlying vision disorders so your child can see the world brightly and clearly. Contact us online or call (915) 546-4140 to schedule a vision screening today.

The Importance of a Pediatric Vision Screening

The primary goal of vision screenings is to detect vision problems in children as early as possible to reduce the risk of vision loss. Faulty vision can make it difficult for children to focus in school, putting their performance at risk. That’s why we recommend regular pediatric vision screenings for El Paso children, so our pediatricians can detect amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, and other vision-related conditions, which can be irreversible if left untreated.

What to Expect During a Vision Screening Exam

During your child’s pediatric vision screening exam, our pediatricians will shine a light on their pupil to see how it dilates and responds. From there, your child will be asked to hold a hand over one eye and read letters from a wall chart at a distance to test their acuity for 20/20 vision. Acuity tests determine your child’s visual clarity and sharpness of vision. Anything under 20/20 vision may be treated with eyeglasses or other recommended treatment options.
‍

Vision Screening Timeline

Although a newborn’s vision is mostly blurry, vision screening should begin early on and at the following ages:
‍
‍Newborn: Pediatricians may examine a newborn’s eyes for a red reflex, blink, and pupil response to ensure proper response and movement.

‍6 to 12 Months: Visual inspection of the eyes to check for healthy eye alignment and movement.
‍
‍12 to 36 Months: At this age, a special camera—used for a photo screening test—will take pictures of your child’s eyes to identify underlying issues, such as amblyopia (lazy eye).
‍
‍3 to 5 Years: As your child’s vision develops, our pediatricians will examine the child’s vision and eye alignment for sharpness, distance, misalignment, lazy eye, refractive errors, or other focusing problems.
‍
‍5 Years and Up: As your child ages, they should be examined once a year for their visual acuity and alignment to address potential nearsightedness (myopia), which can be corrected with glasses.
‍

Common Vision Screening Questions

What are the guidelines for pediatric visual acuity?

The guidelines for pediatric visual acuity are age-dependent since a child’s vision should improve with age. At 3 years old, a child should have 20/50 vision; at 4 years old, 20/40; and at 5 years old, 20/32 or 20/30. By age 6 and older, children should have 20/20 vision.
‍

What is the most common test of visual acuity in children?

You may be familiar with one of the most common acuity tests. They’re in every doctor’s office and even at the DMV! A standard letter acuity test is a wall chart with rows of letters in decreasingly smaller sizes.
‍

What is the most common vision problem in children?

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is the most common vision problem in children. It means children can see up close but have problems seeing things far away. Common symptoms of myopia are squinting, blurred vision, and distorted vision.