When Should My Child Have an Eye Exam in Titusville?

It is a full eye exam built for a child, and your child does not need to know letters. With babies and toddlers we use lights, pictures, and lenses to see that each eye focuses and that the two eyes line up and move together. Older kids read letters or shapes. A kids' eye exam with us checks vision, depth perception, color vision, eye alignment, and the health of the eyes. You stay in the room the whole time.

No. A screening asks one question: can your child read a chart across the room? It does a fair job of catching nearsightedness, and it stops there. It does not check farsightedness, focusing, how the eyes team up, or eye health. That is how a child can pass at school and still lose their place on every page. If your child failed a screening, bring the note to their eye exam. If they passed and you still wonder, bring them anyway.

Yes, expect dilating drops at a first exam. The drops do two jobs. They let us see the health of the eyes, and they relax the focusing muscles so we can measure your child's true prescription. They sting for a few seconds. After that, near vision is blurry and the eyes are sensitive to light for a few hours. Bring sunglasses and plan a quiet afternoon with no homework. Dr. Bradley or any of us will answer your questions about them at the visit.

With a vision plan, it is usually a copay, since most plans cover a yearly exam for children. Medical insurance covers a visit for a medical problem, such as an eye turn, a lazy eye, or an infection. We check your benefits before the visit and tell you what you will owe. No coverage? Call us at (321) 269-2021 and we will give you the self-pay price before you book. We work with most vision plans and medical insurance.

Yes. Dr. Bradley treats amblyopia, a lazy eye where one eye did not develop properly, and strabismus, an eye that turns in or out. She also treats binocular vision disorders, when the two eyes do not work well as a team. All of these are easier to help while a child is young. For children and teenagers whose nearsightedness climbs with every new pair, she offers myopia management. She sees these children at our Playalinda office.

Yes, once they can handle them, and that depends more on the child than the age. A child who can put a lens in, take it out, and keep up with cleaning is usually ready. Daily lenses make that easier. Dr. Bradley at Playalinda and Dr. Amanda Aker Downtown both fit MiSight lenses, which are designed to slow nearsightedness in children. A contact lens fitting is its own visit, and your child practices with us before going home.