Pediatric Hearing and Vision Screenings

Find out why children should get a regular hearing and vision screenings

From the moment your child is born, doctors will begin to provide them with vaccines, screenings, and care they need for a healthy beginning. Some of those tools include hearing and vision screenings, which help our Westchase and Clearwater FL pediatricians detect problems early on before they even present challenges. Since hearing or vision problems can often lead to learning delays, your child must be getting a regular hearing and vision screenings done. Contact Clearwater Pediatric Care or Westchase Pediatric care to learn more.

When should my child get hearing and vision screenings?

Your newborn will have their first vision and hearing screening performed before one month old. This test may either be performed in the hospital after birth or by your board-certified Westchase pediatrician. Once your child is three months old, they should come back into our office for a full vision and hearing screening, particularly if the results from their first test weren’t conclusive.

Once your child is between the ages of 2 and 2 ½ years old, they will also need to get another round of comprehensive hearing and vision screening tests. While these screenings usually take just a few minutes, the screening performed around the 2-year mark will be a bit more detailed and can take longer than the other screenings. Even children without problems should still get their hearing and vision checked every year after they’ve reached 2 years old.

Why are hearing and vision screenings so important?

We often associate hearing and vision problems with older adults; however, the fact remains that anyone (even children) can develop or be born with hearing and vision problems. In fact, according to the US Department of Health & Human Services, 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children in the US are born with hearing problems or are deaf.

The majority of children with vision or hearing impairments also deal with developmental delays and disabilities, so the sooner our Westchase pediatricians can detect a problem the better since we can address these developmental or learning disabilities early on. We can also provide them with ways to correct and improve their vision and hearing.

Hearing and vision screenings for children is crucial and our Clearwater and Westchase FL pediatricians are happy to provide your child with these comprehensive screenings and more. Please call Clearwater Pediatric Care today at (727) 461-1543 or (813) 818-1543 for Westchase Pediatric Care to schedule your child’s next upcoming checkup.