Children’s Eye Exams | Kelowna

Rutland’s Home of Child Eye Care

Your child deserves an environment that makes them feel comfortable, relaxed, and safe. At Rutland Optometry, we treat your family as an extension of our own, meaning we go the distance to ensure your child has everything they need to enjoy their eye care experience.

From our understanding and compassionate staff to our comprehensive and modern eye care practices, we’re proud to be the team your child trusts. Find out how we can serve your child’s vision by booking their appointment today!

Book Your Child's Eye Exam

Why Your Child’s Vision Matters

Your child relies on their vision for 80% of their learning. However, eye conditions can prevent your child from learning at their full potential, leading to issues with their school work, behaviour, and confidence.

We believe your child deserves eyesight they can rely on. By bringing your child in for regular eye exams, we have the opportunity to identify potential problems before they affect your child’s quality of life.

What to Expect From an Exam

We design our eye exams to be both comprehensive and comfortable.

Because regular eye exams are the key to preserving and protecting your child’s eyesight, we recommend bringing your child in for an eye exam during important stages in their eye development, including:

A first a exam at 6 months of age
A second exam between 2 and 5 years
A third exam right before starting school
Annual eye exams until turning 18

We may recommend more frequent eye exams depending on your child’s needs.

Compassionate

We communicate everything we do during the exam with you and your child.

We will take a comprehensive look at your child’s eye health, personal health, and family health history at their exam.. If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know and we’ll be happy to address them.

Refraction Exam

A refraction exam is how we determine your child’s lens prescription. There are several different methods to do this, but some of the most tried and tested ways are with a phoropter or Snellen eye chart.

Eye Health Assessment

Examining your child’s eye health is one of the most important steps during the eye exam. Using modern technology and comfortable techniques, we examine the delicate structures of your child’s eyes for signs of conditions and potential diseases.

Common Issues We Help Address

Children might not know they’re experiencing an issue with their eyes or vision. However, there are some signs you might be able to identify, including:

Excessive eye rubbing
A short attention span
Difficulty reading or writing
Word and number reversals
Sitting close to the front of the class
Sitting close to screens and monitors
Hold books up close

If your child is displaying these signs, please book them in for an eye exam. Our team can take a look at their issues and determine what may be causing their symptoms.

Myopia

Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is a common refractive error that develops around the time children start school. As your child grows, their eyes might grow too long or their cornea’s curvature may become too steep, making it difficult to see distant objects clearly.

Please visit our Myopia Control page for more information on myopia and how we can help manage it!

Amblyopia

Amblyopia, commonly known as lazy eye, is an eye condition that is characterized by a wandering or unaligned eye.

Uncorrected refractive errors or poor eye muscle control can cause amblyopia, usually developing between the ages of 1 and 3. Over time, your child’s brain may start ignoring images from their “weaker” eye, leading to vision loss.

Early detection gives your child an opportunity to manage this issue using corrective lenses, eye patches, or vision therapy.

Strabismus

Strabismus, also known as crossed eyes, is a condition that causes poor alignment between both of your child’s eyes. Like amblyopia, strabismus can develop early in your child’s life and could lead to vision loss if it’s not addressed early enough.

By detecting strabismus as early as possible, we can recommend several options to manage your child’s symptoms, including corrective lenses, or vision therapy.

We’re Local

Our office is conveniently located on Highway 33 in the heart of Rutland, just minutes from Highway 97. Find us inside Willow Park Mall, with ample parking just outside our doors.