Your child’s visual system continues to develop from birth till the age of about 6 years. During this critical period, even simple vision problems such as refractive errors, if left undetected and not corrected with glasses, can lead to development of a lazy eye and subsequent permanent loss of vision.
Note : Early detection is key to minimizing vision loss.
Unfortunately, some infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers do not get an adequate eye examination as they may be unco-operative at the doctor’s office and the vision exam get passed over. An alternative would be to do the following child vision test at home.
These tests are not a substitute for a complete eye examination by your eye doctor. However, they may help you discover a vision problem that needs medical attention.
Instructions :
Tell your child that you are going to play a game. Show the child the pictures below and teach him/her to point where the ‘legs’ of the letter E are pointing to; … right, left, up and down.
Now use two sheets of paper to cover 3 of the Es, and ask your child which direction the shown E is pointing. When a correct response is given, show the next E. Remember to praise the child each time there is a correct response.
Disclaimer :
These tests are not a substitute for a complete eye examination by your eye doctor. However, they may help you discover a vision problem that needs medical attention.
When the child understands the game and is giving consistently correct answers, cover one eye and continue the game with the child standing progressively further away at 4, 5, 6 metres from the screen. Note the furthest distance away from the screen that the child is able to give consistently correct answers.
If the room is too small, you can still achieve a viewing distance of 6 metres by placing a mirror 3 metres behind the screen and getting the child to play the game looking into the mirror. Of course you should also be looking into the mirror too to monitor the response correctly.
Interpreting the results
Use the following table to score your child’s visual acuity. If your child distance visual acuity is recorded as less than 6/12, you should repeat the test again another day as the child may be unco-operative. However, if distance visual acuity is confirmed to be less than 6/12, you should bring your child for an examination by an eye care professional.
| Distance from screen (metres) | Visual Acuity |
|---|---|
| 1 | 6/120 |
| 2 | 6/60 |
| 3 | 6/24 |
| 4 | 6/18 |
| 5 | 6/15 |
| 6 | 6/12 |