Children's Exams
Doctors of optometry play an essential and ongoing role in ensuring the health of you and your family.
We diagnose, treat and help prevent diseases and disorders affecting the visual system, the eye and related structures. We also assist in identifying general health conditions that are often first detected through an eye exam, provide referrals to specialists and can help manage post-eye-surgery health. From infants to grade-schoolers through to grandparents, Optometrists not only ensure quality of vision and eye health, but quality of life.
Many serious eye conditions don’t have obvious symptoms. Some eye diseases only show symptoms when the condition is advanced and difficult, or even impossible, to treat. A comprehensive eye exam provides the full assurance of vision and eye health that a store sight test or a school vision screening cannot. A sight test can only determine a lens power by relying on a combination of computerized tests using automated equipment. These automated sight tests are not comprehensive or accurate and do nothing to determine if your eyes are healthy.
Your vision is priceless. Routine eye exams by an optometrist not only ensure good vision and eye health, but peace of mind.
| Infants and Toddlers (Birth to 24 months) | Infants and toddlers should undergo their first eye examination between the ages of 6 and 9 months |
| Preschool Children (2 to 5 years) | Preschool children should undergo at least one eye examination between the ages of 2 and 5 years |
| School Age Children (6 to 19 years) | School children aged 6 to 19 years should undergo an eye examination annually |
Eye Health at Different Ages
Infants and Toddlers
Newborns have all the ocular structures necessary to see, although these are not yet fully developed. At birth, your baby can see blurred patterns of light and dark.
During the first four months, their visual horizon will expand from a few centimetres to many metres. Their vision will become clearer and colour vision will begin to develop. Their two eyes will start working together. By four months of age, an infant’s colour vision is similar to an adult’s, and by the sixth month, your baby will acquire eye movement control and develop eye-hand coordination skills.
For the first six months, an infant’s eyes can appear slightly crossed or out of alignment, but this is usually normal. But if your infant’s eyes appear significantly crossed or remain misaligned after six months of age, contact your Doctor of Optometry right away. Your child may have strabismus, commonly known as crossed eyes, a condition that needs to be treated with eyeglasses, contact lenses, prisms and/or vision therapy and, in some cases, surgery. In time, if not corrected, the ignored eye will become unable to function normally and will become largely unused. This may result in the development of lazy eye.
Lazy eye, or amblyopia, is another condition that becomes apparent within the first six months of your baby’s life. This condition describes weak vision or vision loss in one eye as a result of an uncorrected prescription. If detected or treated before eight years of age, it will often resolve completely. It’s important to treat amblyopia early – with vision therapy, eyeglasses and/or contact lenses, or patching – as treatment becomes very difficult later on. Untreated, amblyopia can lead to blindness in the affected eye.
Visual abilities play a big role in early development. Doctors of optometry recommend infants have their first eye exam between six and nine months of age. Children should have at least one eye exam between the ages of two and five, and yearly after starting school. An optometrist can complete an eye exam even if your child doesn’t know their ABCs. A doctor of optometry can use shapes, pictures and other child-friendly ways to evaluate vision and eye health.
Preschool Children (2 to 5 years)
School Age Children (6 to 19 years)
Early diagnosis and intervention is our goal
Under 19 years of age - Covered by OHIP
with OHIP Eligibility*
- Individualized treatment plan
- Eyeglass & contact lens prescription**
- Retinal photography
- OCT & Visual Fields***
Doctor Biographies
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* OHIP Eligibility
OHIP Eligibilityis defined by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Patients aged 20 to 64 years who have any of the following medical conditions can go to their optometrist or physician and receive an OHIP insured eye examination once every 12 months : diabetes mellitus, glaucoma, cataract, retinal disease, visual field defects, corneal disease, active uveitis or optic pathway disease.
** Additional Follow Up
Additional follow-up and partial eye exams may be required.
*** OCT & Visual Fields
As required. There are no additional fees on our Annual Eye Exams for retinal photos or OCT. OHIP does not cover retinal photos or OCT, which we feel is important to thoroughly examine your eyes for retinal diseases and glaucoma. Early diagnosis and intervention is our goal.
OHIP Covered Conditions
In Ontario, OHIP will cover the cost of an examination once every year for patients up to 19 years of age or over 65 years of age. In addition, OHIP will cover the cost of an annual examinations for patients with certain medical conditions such as diabetes and glaucoma. Full details about OHIP eyecare coverage including a list of eligible medical conditions are available from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care website.
Patients aged 20 to 64 years who have any of the following medical conditions can go to their optometrist or physician and receive an OHIP insured eye examination once every 12 months : diabetes mellitus, glaucoma, cataract, retinal disease, visual field defects, corneal disease, active uveitis or optic pathway disease.
Not Covered by OHIP
Routine eye examinations provided by either an optometrist, ophthalmologist or physician, for patients aged 20 to 64, are not covered by OHIP. These individuals are responsible for payment for these examinations or have the cost covered by private insurance.
ODSP, Ontario Works and NIBH
There may be additional fees not covered by these programs.
Because of the individual programs we ask that patients contact us before scheduling an appointment. Different programs have different documentation and different coverages. Please contact us and we can help figure out what is required for your situation.
Parital Eye Examinations
Partial eye examinations follow an initial annual assessment and address an issue that has started during the year or to follow-up on an existing condition. The tests required may very depending on the reason for the visit.
The fees for a partial eye examination starts from $60 and may be covered by OHIP in some instances.
Appointments Available
Located in downtown Toronto near Richmond St. and Spadina Ave at the edge of the Fashion and Entertainment Districts. Easily accessible by transit (504, 501, 510) with nearby parking.