Family Vision Care
At Family Vision Care, we specialize in children's vision. You'll find that our entire office is geared towards family care, right down to the playhouse, books and videos in our reception area. We pride ourselves in the ability to take care of the entire family, including infants, toddlers and school-age children.

According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), routine comprehensive vision exams should be given at the following times:

Before age 1 [Ask about the InfantSEE program]
At 3 years of age
At 5 years of age
Every year or two during school, as recommended by your doctor
NOTE: Anyone who is found to be at risk for visual problems may be examined more frequently as recommended by your eyecare professional.

Vision screenings at school or by the pediatrician are NOT comprehensive vision examinations.  Vision screenings at school are usually only checking visual acuity in the distance. This detects only kids suffering from nearsightedness, but did you know that most kids are actually farsighted? This condition will not be found on a typical vision screening. Pediatricians look at visual acuity in the distance, only one of many visual skills necessary to succeed in school, and usually perform a very general eye health examination.

Learn more at 20/20 is Not Enough! and Comments by Parents, Doctors, and Educators.

Vision Exams are Wellness Exams
We know that in the first few years of life a child will go through a series of developmental milestones. Early mastery of basic skills lays the foundation for higher level skills. If milestones are delayed or skipped (the child displays "more advanced" milestones without progressing through earlier skills) the child can have difficulties later on. This is especially true for developing good visual skills.

Just like going to the pediatrician to get a clean bill of health, children should be routinely checked by their optometrist to ensure their vision is developing properly. If not, poor visual skills can really hinder a child in school, as well as other activities such as sports. Just like seeing the dentist, it is better to visit your eye doctor BEFORE something is seriously wrong, so that risk factors can be identified, small problems managed and bigger problems avoided. Pediatricians and basic school vision screenings do not check the development of vision (and neither do most ophthalmologists and some optometrists!). A thorough exam should not only identify problems such as near or farsightedness, astigmatism and general eye health, but also evaluate visual skills.
For more information, see Early Detection of Children's Eye Problems.

How can you give an eye exam to an infant or toddler? They can't tell you what they see!
At Family Vision Care, we gear our eye examination to individual age levels so children find their visits both pleasant and educational. Our children examinations are as comprehensive as those for adults.

We use specially designed equipment and procedures to evaluate a child's visual acuity, eye coordination, depth perception, color vision, visual development and overall eye health. Many of these procedures are age dependent and chosen specifically for your child's level of development.
For more information, see Comprehensive Children's Eye Exams.

Stop a Visual Problem BEFORE it Starts
Developmental vision exams are important not only because they ensure the eyes are physically healthy with no signs of disease or birth defects, but they also ensure vision is developing properly. Poor visual skills are not outgrown. They stay with you throughout life and can prevent people from ever reaching their true potential.

Vision is a learned process and good visual development is necessary for an efficient visual system. Proper visual development is important to overall performance and intelligence throughout life. In order for visual abilities to develop effectively, combining different sensory-motor systems is very important especially during the first three years of life.

Good visual skills are vitally important to a child's academic and life achievements. If the visual system is inefficient, a child has to work extra hard to keep up with others, or else find they cannot work up to their own potential. The sooner vision problems are detected and managed, the less time a child labors with inefficient visual skills that can hinder learning.
For more information on children's healthy visual development, see A Parents' Guide to Children's Visual Develoment.

Risk Factors for Vision Related Learning Problems
If your child has had any of the following factors in their background, they may be at a greater risk for acquiring vision related learning dysfunctions. Being aware of these increased risks means you have the knowledge to potentially recognize signs of any visual problems early and get the help they may need BEFORE it can really affect their performance in school and life. Make sure you tell your optometrist if your child has any of the following risk factors:

  • Poor prenatal care (drinking/smoking/drug abuse during pregnancy)
  • Complications during pregnancy such as preeclampsia, systemic infections, medications, anesthetics at birth, obstetrical trauma, toxemia, hypoxia
  • Family History of learning disabilities and/or visual problems
  • Children of low birth weight (LBW)
  • Poverty
  • Premature birth
  • Malnutrition
  • Conditions such as Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Autism
  • Postnatal factors such as infections, high fevers, metabolic disorders, chronic disease, hazardous environmental or medical events (seizures, abuse, head injury, etc.)

The sooner any vision related learning problems are addressed, the greater your child's chances are of achieving in school and throughout life!

More information on vision related learning problems is available on the web via the list below and/or by visiting our Links page.

Phone (650) 593-1661  *  Fax  (650) 595-5203  *  email@familyvisioncare.org
Already have an appointment or are planning to schedule one, feel free to visit our Forms page and select the form appropriate for you.
Optimal Vision for School, Sports, Work and ... Life!
Your child is invited to enjoy our recently remodeled playhouse!