Expert Support: Director of Ophthalmology, Shenyang Children’s Hospital After the birth of a baby, parents will regularly check the baby’s growth and development, trace elements, intelligence and other aspects, although many parents often neglect to do eye examinations for their babies. In fact, babies should have their eyes checked regularly after one month of life to detect congenital eye disorders and problems as early as possible. The critical period for eye growth and development is from birth to age 6. During this period, myopia, hyperopia, strabismus, amblyopia and other vision abnormalities are likely to occur. Overseas, some countries require children to undergo vision screening once at 2 to 4 weeks, 2 to 3 months, 6 to 7 months and 3 to 5 years of age after birth. In China, because some parents neglect to check their babies’ vision regularly, some children are already in school age when they are diagnosed with eye diseases, and as a result, they miss treatment. The baby should have a routine eye examination after 1 month of birth and every 6 months thereafter; a comprehensive eye examination should be done when the baby is 2 years old; and a routine eye examination should be done every 3 months to 6 months between the ages of 2 and 18. Babies can be checked for high myopia, strabismus, cataracts, glaucoma, retinoblastoma and other diseases after they reach 1 month of age. Early detection of congenital disorders of the eye allows for early intervention and treatment. Some congenital eye diseases can be cured. For example, children with congenital cataracts have white pupils (normal pupils are black), making it difficult for light to enter the eye. Failure to operate early will result in severe amblyopia, and early detection will allow early implementation of related treatments. 【Tip】What is the child’s visual acuity? A newborn’s visual acuity is below 0.1, which can only be found with a professional testing device. The newborn’s lens is not yet adjustable and can only see objects up to 20 cm from the eye. The eye’s ability to adjust begins to develop at 3 months after birth and is perfected at 6 months. The vision of a 2-year-old child is normal between 0.4 and 0.5, and 60% of 3-year-olds have a vision of 1.0. Most 6 and 7-year-olds will have a normal relaxed state of vision, with neither myopia nor hyperopia.