Taking your little ones to the eye doctor, especially for the first time, can be nerve-racking for both you and them. Going to any doctor, in general, can be a huge stressor as your child may struggle with being afraid or uncertain. However, getting regular eye exams for your child is important, so showing them what it’s all about and going in is a must! Here are a few tips on how to prepare for your child’s first eye exam in order to ease the process and reduce worry.
Be Familiar With Your Eye Doctor
Don’t walk into your eye exam as a stranger. Getting to know your eye doctor is a great way to help establish the trust for your kid. Doing your research about where you are taking your child for their appointment is a part of being familiar. At Best in Sight, we are a family optometric practice. Some eye care services are not trained to work with children, so keep this in mind. An easy way to get find information about your eye doctor is by going online and looking on the website. You can learn all about Best In Sight’s leading optometrist Dr. Allen Mok on our website, and browse the eye care services we provide. Doing some research is definitely beneficial when looking to prepare and be knowledgeable about who is doing your eye exam.
Explain The Process
Knowing what is going to happen before going into the eye exam will help your child mentally prepare and know what to expect. You can act out the scenario of being at the exam or explain the process like a story. Go from your own personal experience. You can also reassure your child that routine eye exams are generally very fast and they’ll be done before they know it.
Explain the Importance
To your child, the eyes may seem like a secondary health concern. However, eye health is a big part of your overall health and is just as important as the rest of your doctor appointments. Expressing the necessity of eye exams will help your child understand why they must go in. Catching eye conditions early on helps stop conditions becoming worse or irreversible. Many eye conditions, if spotted early on, can be corrected or reduced. Eye exams also can catch other serious health concerns, such as diabetes or even tumors in the brain.
Your child also needs excellent vision and eye health in order to perform well in their activities. If their eyesight needs correcting, then your child can fall behind in school. Therefore, getting your child’s eyes checked is even important in terms of development in many areas.
Make a List of Questions and Concerns
Before going into your child’s eye exam, write out a list of questions or concerns you may have. Even if the question seems silly or your concern seems small, always feel free to ask your eye doctor. You can also ask your child if they have any questions or worries they’d like to address as well. Communicating with your eye doctor will ease any worries or confusion, which is a positive for you and your child.
Remember, getting your child in for an eye exam is very important. It may seem intimidating for your child to go see an eye doctor, but by preparing them with these tricks, it will help make the eye exam go more smoothly.