Eyesight Testing for Babies

Sight is a precious gift and we must do all that we can to ensure that our babies' sight remains healthy. At birth, babies are given a test to ensure there are no obvious problems. It's very rare for there to be problems with the sight of a newborn, but checks are given to ensure that the eye has developed normally and that there is no sign of infection.

At birth, a baby's eye is 75% the size of an adult eye, that is why the eyes of a baby look so large and makes them so adorable!  Eyes are more delicate and not as flexible as the rest of our body and large levels of growth can't be accomodated, so they only grow a little more, reaching full size at around the age of two.

Your child will have further eye examinations when you see your health visitors or doctor, but you should always keep alert for signs of any problems and arrange to see an optician or specialist doctor if you suspect any problems.  They'd rather see you and send you away without finding any problem than not see you at all, so if you suspect problems, don't hesitate to make an appointment.

There are many problems that can occur as your children grow, including infections, cataracts, blocked tear ducts, drooping eyelids, misalignment (squints), loss of vision (lazy eye) and other issues.  Keeping a check on eyes is an important responsibility for parents.  There are many aspects of healthy eye sight that need to be tested beyond simply reading an eye chart.  Baby's of course can't read out rows of letters but there are plenty of tests that doctors and opticians can perform to ensure that their eyesight is developing properly.