It is critical that every child receives an in-person, comprehensive eye examination by an eye doctor in their first year of life and before school or sooner if their doctor recommends it. Vision has an enormous impact on social, motor, cognitive and academic achievement, and doctors of optometry can help ensure a successful future.

A child’s eyes go through rapid changes, especially in the first six years of life. But fewer than 15% of preschool children receive an eye exam by a professional, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And while vision screenings have become ubiquitous in schools across the country, they aren’t enough. School vision screenings miss up to 75% of children with vision problems. And 61% of the children found to have eye problems through screenings never visit the doctor or get help, according to the AOA’s evidence-based clinical practice guideline, Comprehensive Pediatric Eye and Vision Examination.