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Who should check my baby's eyes?

By the BabyCenter editorial staff, from: http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/babydevelopment/1437477.html

Your baby's doctor should examine your baby's eyes at each of his well-baby visits. She'll check his eyes for problems, just as she checks his back, ears, breathing, and heart, to make sure that all's well. If the doctor determines that your baby may have difficulties with his vision, she'll refer you to a medical eye specialist (ophthalmologist) for further evaluation. If the doctor spots a health problem with your baby's eyes, such as an infection, she'll either treat it (if it's minor) or refer you to an ophthalmologist (if it's more serious). She should also refer you to a specialist if your baby has a strong family history of eye problems in childhood.

Should I take my baby to an optometrist, too?

That's something you have to decide for yourself. Most medical doctors who deal with children's eyes say that vision screening at well-child visits, if done properly, is the best way to monitor your child's vision. (The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and strabismus say that primary care physicians should be the ones who screen for vision problems.) Taking your child to an optometrist for a separate screening, medical doctors say, would be time-consuming and expensive for parents.

But optometrists (and the American Optometric Association) say that because some doctors aren't properly trained, aren't comfortable giving eye exams, or don't have the time to provide complete eye exams, many children don't receive thorough examinations. Optometrists recommend that your child be given a comprehensive Eye Exam by an optometrist at age 6 months, at age 3, and before kindergarten (and many optometrists offer one free exam to babies age 6 months to a year).

Medical doctors and optometrists may disagree about who should check your baby's eyes, but on one point there's no argument: It's crucial to have your baby's eyes looked at for problems early on. Good eyesight will help your child do his best in everything from schoolwork to sports. And early detection of certain eye problems, such as Amblyopia, makes it much more likely that treatment will be successful.

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