Pediatric Eye Exams

Bright Eyes Kids is the only pediatric optometry office in Tampa Bay and half our patients at Bright Eyes Family are children! Our offices see children as young as infants through adults. Additionally, we offer a wide variety of kid-friendly glasses, with styles to fit every child’s personality!

We offer specialty services such as Vision Therapy and Myopia Management, as well as consultations for conditions such as Amblyopia (Lazy Eye), Strabismus, eye strain, eye infections and more. If you are concerned about your child’s vision, visit the experts at Bright Eyes!

Frequently Asked Questions About Pediatric Eye Exams

Why choose Bright Eyes for your child?

Kids love Bright Eyes! We treat all children with the respect they deserve, by providing eye exams that meet their needs. When kids are relaxed, the doctors can more accurately measure their vision.

Since Dr. Nate and Dr. Beth are both residency-trained pediatric optometrists, they have worked with thousands of kids! Kids generally strive to do a “good job” at the eye exam. Just like adults, they sometimes worry that they are not “getting it right”. To overcome this, we structure eye exams like a series of games and activities, while carefully looking for vision issues.

Our staff are awesome with kids! They will get down to their level to help select glasses that kids love (and that parents like as well!). We take our time working with every patient and family to answer all questions. Our mission is to empower our patients!
 

Do you see young children and special needs kids?

Yes! Some eye doctors have age restrictions, but we see kids of all ages and abilities. Dr. Nate and Dr. Beth use special techniques for testing the vision of little ones who can’t speak or read yet. We use toys, lenses, magnifiers, trial lenses, matching games and videos to keep the attention of kiddos to best measure their eyeglass prescription and check the health of their eyes.

We also love our special needs patients! Children who are non-verbal, have sensory issues, are wheelchair-bound, have developmental issues, or just require more patience - we see them all and will provide your child with the attention they deserve.

Our optical team also specializes in eyeglasses for babies, toddlers, low-bridge, developmental issues, hearing aid adjustment, and more. Flexible frames, custom-fit frames, tiny frames - we can offer a selection of styles and colors to best fit your child’s personality!

Will my child’s eyes be dilated?

Most likely, yes. We recommend dilation eye drops for every patient, from 6 months and older. Dilation makes the pupils larger so that the doctors can see the nerves and blood vessels in the back of the eye. Dilation does not need to be done every year for children and low-risk adults, but the first time we see a patient, a dilated eye exam will give us essential baseline health information.

Eye drops can be stressful for kids and parents, which is why we have “Drama Free Drops” for your child. Eye drops don’t have to be scary!
 

• We build a trust with patients to reduce the worry about eye drops.

• We give patients different options for the eye drops - eyes open or eyes closed. This helps them feel in control and further reduces fears.

• We let them get comfortable - holding a parent’s hand or bringing a stuffed animal to hug helps!

• Finally, we talk in a calm soothing way, and before they know it, the drops are in and they can go out to the waiting area to play or look at glasses.

We believe in being honest with our patients! Avoid telling children that “the drops don’t hurt”, because if the child feels a tingle or stinging sensation, it can damage the trust. Blinking rapidly will help the sensation go away. Then they may need to wait 10-30 minutes for the drops to fully work.

Side effects for dilation drops include light sensitivity and blurry vision up close for a few hours or more. Let us know if your child has had a bad experience with drops in the past. Kids can bring sunglasses, or we can provide a temporary pair for bright sunny days! We will let you know how long the effects will last, depending on the drop used.

Do you carry durable glasses?

Glasses for kids today are nothing like they were a generation ago! We have a great selection of stylish, durable and comfortable children’s eye wear. Our optical team specializes in fitting eyewear for babies, toddlers, school-aged kids and teens.

We have colorful and neutral styles, metal and plastic, lightweight and flex-style frames - and all of our regular priced frames include a 1-year breakage warranty. Most of our lens packages also come with a 1-year scratch warranty, so you can be sure your child’s glasses will last. If the glasses happen to break or lenses get scratched, a $25 processing fee will cover the replacement.

We DO accept outside eyeglass prescriptions, but please make an appointment to work with our staff! We want to give your child our undivided attention and be available to answer any questions you might have.

Can kids wear contacts?

Yes! Children as young as infants have been prescribed and fitted for contact lenses to help their visual development. Usually infants and toddlers in contact lenses have very high prescriptions, so having clear vision in both eyes is essential for a child’s development. We help parents learn skills necessary to safely insert and remove the contacts for very young children.

Some of our Myopia Management patients start wearing contacts as young as 6, but it depends on the focus, patience and maturity of the child. If a child is motivated, they will tend to keep trying. If they are not motivated, it’s much harder!

We work with kids and adults of all ages to provide the best contacts for their needs: comfortable lenses, clear vision, fits their budget, and effectively treats their vision issues. Our team will also teach your child to insert and remove contact lenses. (Parents you may need to help too!)

We can schedule a contact lens evaluation at the same time as a comprehensive eye exam, or at a later date. We will schedule a contact lens training session, and can schedule an additional session if more practice is needed. Follow-up visits are included
as part of the contact lens evaluation fee, so we can ensure the contacts are a perfect fit!

Call us to schedule - and watch some videos to get your child prepared for the contact lens process!

What is InfantSee?

Your baby has a whole lifetime to see and learn. But did you know that babies also have to learn to see? Any difficulties controlling the eyes or seeing clearly out of one or both eyes can lead to problems that will affect a child throughout life if not treated.

Because we believe that proper visual development is so important, Dr. Bonilla-Warford and Dr. Knighton are proud to participate in the InfantSEE program through the American Optometric Association. Under this program, any infant between the ages of 6 and 12 months will receive a thorough visual and ocular health evaluation at no charge.

This is a one-time service which offers early detection of potential eye and vision problems at no cost regardless of income or ability to pay.

Though babies can’t talk, optometrists use their clinical education, training and experience, along with instruments such as lighted toys to provide non-invasive eye and vision assessments for infants.

When should I get my child’s eyes checked?

As children grow, their entire body goes through several phases of developmental growth! Their eyes are no exception. Having your child’s vision examined yearly is essential in detecting and correcting any potential eye changes that may arise as they grow. Even if their parents have no vision correction themselves, children can still develop visual challenges over time.

After infancy, we recommend the next exam at 3 years old, then again at 5 years old, or before kindergarten. Yearly eye exams are also recommended for school-age children and teens.