Dr. Battani recommends that infants between 6 months and two years of age, especially premature babies, be evaluated by a pediatric
ophthalmologist, to be certain that the internal and external ocular structures develop normally.

Strabismus (crossed eye) and amblyopia (lazy eye) can be ruled out or treated appropriately if discovered during this critical time period. Surgical intervention may be necessary for crossed eyes to be sure that the child has every opportunity to develop normal binocular vision. Mis-alignment of the eyes at an early age may prevent the brain cells that enable normal binocular vision from developing. A clear picture in each eye, and correct central vision alignment is necessary for normal depth perception, or 3-D vision to develop.

If all of the normal developmental milestones have been achieved, Dr. Battani will start seeing children for refractive evaluation when they reach school age.
Since there is huge link between vision and learning, it is important for school age children to be evaluated every 12 months.
Many children with refractive errors that may inhibit their progress in the classroom, are missed by school screening programs.
Therefore, it is imperative that every child be examined by a qualified professional to evaluate proper eye muscle movement and function,
as well as refractive error.

Children with abnormal pursuits (ability to track a moving object) or abnormal saccadic function (ability to move from one object to another accurately) may have difficulty learning to read properly. Accommodative function is also tested to determine if a child’s focusing system reacts normally in the rigorous demands of the classroom. Accomodative insufficiency or accomodative spasm can cause headaches and/or poor classroom performance and can also be affected by medications, such as those used to control asthma. There are a number of refractive strategies and theories that can be employed to alleviate symptoms that cause ocular fatigue and eyestrain in children.