Vision is one of the most important senses for learning and your child's development. 30% of Australian children between the ages of 3 and 12 have some form of vision defect. Unfortunately children may not complain of poor vision because they assume the way they see is the same as everyone else. Every child should have a yearly eye test, starting from 6 months of age.

Children's Visual Skills

Vision is more than just reading an eye chart. Children use many different visual skills for playing, moving around, reading, drawing, using computers and playing sport.  

An Eyedeal paediatric eye test will assess the development of your child's visual skills. The visual skills examined include:

Vision

Vision is the measurement of what we can see, both close and far away. This can be measured very early, even before children can name shapes or letters.

Eye Movement and Teaming

Our eyes need to aim wherever we want to look. As we grow our eyes learn to work as a team by pointing at the same location at the same time. 

Eye Tracking

Eye Tracking is the ability to move our eyes across a page or screen smoothly when reading. Poor tracking may show up as frequently losing place when reading or copying. Delayed development of this skill makes learning to read challenging.

Binocular Vision and Stereopsis

Stereopsis is two-eyes depth perception,and helps us to judge distance, learn to move confidently and is important for ball sports.

Focussing Skills

Our eyes change focus when they aim close or far by adjusting the lens shape in the eye. Our focussing system can become fatigued from excessive close work. 

Peripheral Vision (side vision)

The ability to see out to the side, while looking ahead. This is important to move around confidently and avoid obstacles. 

Colour Vision

1 in 12 males and 1 in 400 females have a genetic colour vision defect. Colour is often used as a learning tool, and an undetected colour defect can create confusion for a child. A colour vision defect may also affect future job selection.

Visual motor integration

Visual inputs are very important to our motor system, helping us to coordinate our hands and body to move, pick items up and to do fine motor activities like writing. When a child's senses integrate poorly the child may appear clumsy or have poorly spaced, unevenly sized handwriting.

Visual Perception Skills

Our Optometrists may assess your child's visual perception skills if they have persistent difficulties with reading and writing.