If your child has been referred by their pediatrician to get an eye exam, then this is likely going to be a whole new experience for them. Eye exams for children are going to be a bit different than they are for adults because children don't have the same level of understanding that adults do. Because of this, it is very important that your child is as prepared as they can possibly be for the exam so that they don't let their nerves or anxiety hinder the exam or skew their correct results. This article is going to discuss 3 ways that you can prepare your toddler for their eye exam.

Practice The Games And Other Exercises With Them

During your child's eye exam, they are going to play different games to test their vision. They are also going to be required to perform different exercises to test their eyes. These games and exercises are likely going to be brand new to your child, so practicing some of them beforehand can be an excellent idea. One game involves having them indicate which way a letter opens, such as an E. They will then be required to hold up 3 fingers like the legs of an E, and indicate which way they are opening. You can easily practice this at home by holding up the letter multiple times and in multiple directions. Your child may also be asked to identify animals as an exercise during the exam, which is something you can easily practice at home. You will simply draw several animals on paper, cut them out, and have your child identify them at different distances. 

Tell Them About The Eye Drops 

Most children are going to need to receive eye drops during their appointment to dilate their eyes. These drops are generally going to burn a little at first, but after this your child will likely feel nothing. However, because they generally burn at first, it is going to be a good idea to warn your child of this. While it may make them a little fearful, you can explain that it will only last for a very short time and that they get to wear some cool sunglasses when they leave the appointment because they took the eye drops. 

Answer All Their Questions 

If your child still has questions about the exam after you have discussed the eye drops, the games, and the exercises, then you are going to want to sit down with them and do your very best to answer all of these questions. They may want to know why these tests are performed, how they help test their vision, how long the appointment is going to be, what happens if they fail the test, etc. Having solid answers to these questions is going to help them to feel more at ease about the entire experience and will likely results in a better appointment with the eye doctor.