PEDIATRIC EYE EXAMS IN FARGO
Lumen Vision provides comprehensive pediatric eye exams in Fargo, ND for infants, toddlers, school-age kids and teens, led by fellowship-trained pediatric optometrist Dr. Ryan Capouch, FOVDR. Every exam checks eye health and vision and includes a functional vision screening for the skills kids use to read and learn.
We go beyond the basic vision check your pediatrician or school nurse can do. A pediatric eye exam at Lumen Vision evaluates eye health, refractive error, focusing skills, eye teaming, eye tracking, and the visual processing skills your child needs to read fluently and pay attention in class.
When should my child have their first eye exam?
-
The American Optometric Association recommends the following exam schedule for healthy children:
First exam: 6 to 12 months of age
Second exam: 3 years old
Third exam: Before kindergarten (age 5 or 6)
Annual exams thereafter: Every year for school-age children
If your child wears glasses, has a family history of vision problems, was born premature, or has been flagged at a school screening, they should be examined annually — and sooner if you notice symptoms.
-
Children rarely tell you their eyes hurt or that they can't see — they assume the way they see is the way everyone sees. Watch instead for these behaviors:
Sitting too close to screens or holding books inches from their face
Squinting, head tilting, or covering one eye
Frequent headaches, especially after school or homework
Skipping lines, losing their place, or using a finger to track while reading
Reversing letters or numbers past the age it's typical (around 7)
Avoiding reading, homework, or close-up activities they used to enjoy
Trouble copying from the board at school
Eyes that turn in, out, or don't seem to work together
A teacher or pediatrician suggesting an evaluation
Many of these symptoms are also commonly mistaken for ADHD, dyslexia, or behavioral issues. A comprehensive pediatric eye exam can help you rule out vision as a contributing factor.
-
A school screening or pediatrician visit typically checks one thing: whether your child can read letters at a distance. That misses roughly 75% of vision problems that affect learning. A comprehensive pediatric eye exam at Lumen Vision evaluates:
Eye health: We examine the front and back of each eye to check for disease, injury, or developmental abnormalities.
Refractive error: Nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism — measured precisely, including in children too young to read a chart.
Eye teaming (binocular vision): Whether both eyes are working together as a coordinated team.
Eye tracking: Smooth, accurate eye movements across a line of text — essential for reading.
Focusing (accommodation): The ability to shift focus quickly and comfortably between near and far.
Depth perception and color vision: Often missed by basic screenings.
Functional vision screening: A complimentary screening included with every pediatric exam to identify learning-related vision issues.
-
Common pediatric vision conditions we treat.
Amblyopia (lazy eye): Reduced vision in one eye that didn't develop normally during early childhood. Most treatable when caught early.
Strabismus (eye turn or crossed eyes): Eyes that don't align together. We co-manage with pediatric ophthalmology when surgery is indicated.
Convergence insufficiency: Difficulty pulling the eyes together to read. Affects roughly 1 in 8 school-age children and is highly responsive to vision therapy.
Myopia (nearsightedness): We offer myopia management to slow progression — see our Myopia Management page for details.
Hyperopia (farsightedness): Common in young children and often corrected with glasses for reading and close work.
Astigmatism: An irregular corneal shape that can cause blur at all distances.
Visual processing and learning-related vision problems: When the eyes work but the brain struggles to interpret what they see.
-
A pediatric eye exam at Lumen Vision typically takes 30 to 45 minutes. We've designed the experience to be calm, kid-friendly, and thorough.
Before the visit: Fill out our intake form online so we have your child's history before they walk in. Bring any glasses they currently wear and a list of concerns from teachers, tutors, or pediatricians.
During the exam: We use age-appropriate testing — pictures and shapes for children who don't yet know letters, and objective measurements for infants and toddlers who can't respond verbally.
After the exam: We sit down with you to walk through everything we found, what it means, and what (if anything) we recommend next. If glasses or vision therapy are recommended, we'll explain why and what to expect.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Yes — and the InfantSEE program covers it at no cost regardless of insurance. The first year of life is when many vision-threatening conditions can be caught and treated most successfully. Six months is the sweet spot: the visual system is developed enough to evaluate accurately, but young enough that interventions are highly effective.
-
School screenings are a helpful starting point, but they're not a substitute for a comprehensive eye exam. Most school screenings only test distance visual acuity — they can't evaluate eye teaming, focusing, eye health, or the visual skills that matter for reading. A child can pass a school screening with 20/20 vision and still have a vision problem severe enough to make schoolwork miserable.
-
Not necessarily. We use pictures, shapes, and matching games for younger children, and objective tests (like retinoscopy) that don't require any verbal response at all. We can get accurate measurements on infants who can't even sit up.
-
We accept most major medical insurances and some vision insurance plans. Call us at (701) 404-9096 or email hello@lumen.vision and we can typically give you a coverage estimate in about five minutes. See our Insurances We Accept page for the current list.
-
Yes. Pediatricians are excellent at screening for obvious red flags, but they're not trained to evaluate the full visual system. The American Optometric Association recommends a comprehensive eye exam at 6–12 months, age 3, before kindergarten, and yearly thereafter — separate from any pediatric well-visits.
-
It can be. Many of the symptoms of convergence insufficiency, accommodative dysfunction, and visual processing problems overlap with ADHD and learning disabilities — fidgeting, avoidance of reading, losing place, headaches, short attention span. A vision problem won't cause ADHD, but treating an underlying vision problem often improves classroom performance dramatically. We work alongside your child's other providers, never instead of them.
-
Keep it casual. Tell them they're going to a doctor who looks at eyes and that there are no shots and nothing that hurts. We'll do the rest. Bring a comfort item if your child is anxious in new environments.
Schedule your child's eye exam in Fargo.
Booking online takes about 60 seconds. If you'd rather speak with someone, call (701) 404-9096 or email hello@lumen.vision. We see patients Monday through Friday at our office at 5120 Prosperity Way South, Suite 114, Fargo, ND 58104.