All Children should have a complete eye examination before the age of three.  

Children do not realize they are not seeing well. School screenings are not enough. They are designed to "catch" nearsighted individuals and are done far too late in a young child's development.A child's safety, learning, behavior, comfort, and vision needs should be evaluated at a very early age to insure the child develops properly.  Do not wait for a school screening or accept a rough estimate of acuity as part of a physical exam.  All children should have a complete and thorough exam by an Eye Doctor prior to age 3.

Children who are farsighted, anisometropic (significant difference between the eyes), and those with muscle problems will not be detected as having a problem in a school screening. Their learning, safety, comfort, and long-term vision status necessitates a complete eye examination at a very early age.

If parents observe an eye drifting, crossing, turning, or if there is a suspicion of such with a family history, the child should be seen as soon as possible prior to age 3.  I have examined infants.

We delight in providing eye care for children. We have special testing and measuring equipment available to further enhance their examination. From the beginning of their exam, we strive to make them feel comfortable and secure. Dr. Irons does a very thorough examination for children and, in most cases, is able to do exams on the very, very, young patients including infants.

During your child's eye examination, he will be evaluating many ocular areas and potential conditions including, but not limited to the following:

• Muscle coordination
• Acuity-close and at a distance
• Accommodation
• Visual Field-confrontation
• Glaucoma-if possible
• Depth perception
• Color Blindness
• Internal eye health
• External eye health
• Refractive error-nearsighted, farsighted, or astigmatism

Should your child need glasses, he carefully prescribes lenses that are safe, polycarbonate or trivex®  material with scratch and ultra-violet coatings. Our young patients have their own frame area with a wonderful assortment of frames to choose from.

We carry great materials for children, most having spring hinges for extra durability. We offer flexible, stainless steel, titanium, and plastic (zyl) frames. Their frame area is especially decorated for children and offers a warm and interesting area for them to explore.

The American Optometric Association (AOA) has great information on children and their eye-care health regarding school. For financial assistance for children l8 years of age and under, please refer to the VSP® Sight for Students program at www.sightforstudents.com for completely free examinations and glasses

We make it a point to let every child who has an exam leave with a good feeling about their visit---usually a small gift as well.

We look forward to serving the young person in your life. Please do not depend on school screening examinations to determine your child's vision needs.  Bring your child in very early in life.  

Please click this link to see our flyer regarding Children and their eye care and health.