Paediatric Eye Care

The Canadian Association of Optometrists recommends a first comprehensive eye exam between 6 and 9 months of age — well before children can read or even speak. We use age-appropriate techniques including retinoscopy and fixation-behaviour assessment to evaluate visual development, alignment, and eye health. A second exam between ages 2 and 5 confirms healthy development through the pre-school years, then annual exams from age 6 onward.

Yes — OHIP covers one comprehensive eye exam per year for every child to age 19 in Ontario. There is no copay, no deductible, and no qualifying-condition requirement. Bring your child’s health card. If your child needs follow-up visits for a documented condition such as strabismus, amblyopia, or a significant refractive change, those medically necessary follow-ups are also covered.

For pre-readers and toddlers, we use techniques that don’t require letter recognition. Retinoscopy is an objective measure of refraction that shines a light into the eye and reads the reflex. The Lea symbols chart uses pictures (a house, a circle, a square, an apple) instead of letters. The Hirschberg corneal reflex test checks eye alignment. For infants, we observe how the eyes track, fixate, and align in response to visual stimuli. The exam is interactive, and most children find it engaging rather than stressful.

Amblyopia — often called “lazy eye” — is a developmental condition where one eye doesn’t develop normal vision because the brain favours the stronger eye during early childhood. It’s the leading cause of vision loss in children in Canada. The good news: amblyopia is highly treatable when caught early, with patching, atropine penalisation, or specialist treatment as appropriate. Best results come from detection before age 7 — which is exactly why early eye exams matter. We assess for amblyopia at every paediatric exam from 6 months onward.

School vision screenings catch some problems but miss others — they typically only check distance acuity and don’t assess focusing ability, eye coordination, or eye health. If your child’s screening flagged a referral, the next step is a comprehensive paediatric eye exam at U Optical. We’ll determine what was actually flagged and whether glasses, monitoring, or specialist evaluation is needed. The exam is OHIP-covered to age 19, and most cases are resolved with a clear next step in a single visit.

Watch for: squinting at the board or screens, sitting too close to the TV, frequent eye rubbing, complaints of headaches or tired eyes after reading, tilting the head to look at things, poor depth perception (bumping into things), short attention span during reading, falling behind classmates in school, or covering one eye to read. Children rarely complain of blurred vision because they don’t know what “normal” looks like — these behaviours are often the first signal. A comprehensive eye exam will determine whether glasses meaningfully help.

No — children rarely outgrow strabismus (eye misalignment) or amblyopia. The face matures and prominent epicanthal folds in young children can sometimes mask the appearance of crossing (a condition called pseudostrabismus), but true strabismus and amblyopia don’t resolve on their own. Both are highly treatable when caught early. The window for amblyopia treatment narrows considerably after age 7, which is why screening from 6 months onward matters. If you’re wondering whether what you’re seeing is “just a phase” — book the exam.

The Canadian Association of Optometrists recommends a first exam at 6 to 9 months, another exam between ages 2 and 5, and annual exams from age 6 through 19. Children with myopia, amblyopia, strabismus, or other findings often need exams every 6 months. All paediatric exams are OHIP-covered for children to age 19 in Ontario.

Most children adjust to new glasses within a few days to a week. To help: have them wear the glasses every day during waking hours, avoid switching to old glasses (this slows adaptation), let them choose frames they like (much higher compliance), and praise consistent wear without making it a battle. Mild headaches or visual fatigue in the first week are normal as the eyes adjust. If symptoms persist beyond two weeks, bring them back — the prescription or fit may need adjustment. See our Children’s Eyewear page for fit, durability, and frame-selection tips.

Family doctors and paediatricians can refer paediatric patients directly to U Optical by phoning (416) 292-0336 or emailing info@uoptical.ca with the patient’s name and reason for referral. We accept referrals for routine paediatric eye exams (OHIP-covered to age 19), school-readiness checks, post-screening follow-up, and any vision concerns identified during a well-child visit. We send a written exam summary back to your office so the patient’s primary care record stays current.