Test vision long before kindergarten

LOS ANGELES, July 31 (UPI) -- U.S. vision experts say as much as 80 percent of learning occurs through a child's eyes and a vision test is needed long before a child goes to school.

The Vision Center at Children's Hospital Los Angeles experts advise not waiting until kindergarten for a child's first complete eye exam.

They recommend pediatricians perform a dilated eye exam to detect any serious eye problems within the first two months of life and every child have a comprehensive eye exam by age three.

Some of the more serious eye diseases like lazy eye -- amblyopia -- or crossed eyes -- strabismus -- are correctable, especially when caught early. If a child is having trouble learning to read, parents should include a comprehensive vision examination as one of the tools used to find out why.

"Generally, the earlier we diagnose vision issues, the better the outcome for the child," a pediatric ophthalmologist at the center Dr. Mark Borchert said in a statement.

"Professional eye examination tests not only measure distance of vision, but also how accurately the eyes focus and how well the eye muscles are working."