Medically reviewed by Dr. Michael Nodland, OD · Updated August 2026
Call (561) 799-3932 or book an appointment.
Dr. Nodland sees children from age 6. For anything younger, he’ll point you to a pediatric optometrist — they have equipment and techniques built for infants and toddlers, and that’s the right place to start. Vision therapy is not offered here either. For children under 6, and where vision therapy is needed, he refers out to a developmental optometrist; the referral, with a name and a number, is set out under “Do you offer vision therapy?” below.
From age 6 onward, an eye exam every year is how a child’s vision gets measured rather than guessed at. Vision develops on a timetable, and the window for correcting some problems narrows as a child gets older, so a problem found in second grade is easier to deal with than the same problem found in sixth.
Eye Expressions is a family-owned practice on Fairway Drive in Palm Beach Gardens. Dr. Michael Nodland has practiced at this address since 2010, which means the same doctor can follow one child’s eyes across their whole school career. A children’s exam is one of the services here, and it follows the same structure as an adult comprehensive eye exam with the testing adapted to the child’s age.
Isn’t the school vision screening enough?
No. A school vision screening is not an eye exam. A screening usually checks how well a child reads letters on a distance chart with both eyes open, takes a few minutes, and is often done by a nurse or volunteer. It is a filter, not a diagnosis — and a child can pass it while still having a problem that affects reading.
| School vision screening | Comprehensive eye exam | |
|---|---|---|
| Who performs it | School nurse or volunteer | Licensed optometrist |
| How long | A few minutes | A full appointment |
| What it checks | Distance letter acuity, usually both eyes together | Distance and near vision, eye alignment, focusing, eye teaming, refractive error, eye health front to back |
| What it misses | Farsightedness, astigmatism, focusing problems, subtle eye turns, one weaker eye masked by the stronger one, eye health conditions | — |
| Result | Pass or refer | A diagnosis, a prescription if needed, and a plan |
Distance acuity is the one thing a screening measures well. Most schoolwork happens at arm’s length or closer.
What signs mean my child should be checked?
Children rarely say “I can’t see.” They assume everyone’s vision looks like theirs. These are the behaviors parents notice instead:
- Sitting very close to the TV or holding a tablet close to the face
- Holding books unusually close while reading
- Squinting, or tilting or turning the head to look at something
- Covering or closing one eye to see better
- Frequent eye rubbing, especially during or after schoolwork
- Headaches, particularly late in the day
- Avoiding reading, homework, or other close work
- Losing their place while reading, or using a finger to track
- Poor hand-eye coordination, or trouble with catching and hitting
- A change in school performance or attention with no other explanation
- One eye that drifts in, out, up, or down — at any age, and even occasionally
Any one of these is worth an exam. Number 11 is worth a call.
What conditions are you actually looking for?
A children’s exam is looking for the small number of conditions that affect how vision develops, not just whether glasses are needed.
- Amblyopia (“lazy eye”) — one eye that does not develop normal vision because the brain has learned to favor the other. It is most treatable when caught young, while the visual system is still developing, which is why a suspected weak eye is worth acting on rather than waiting to see whether it settles.
- Strabismus (eye turn) — the eyes not pointing at the same place, constant or intermittent, and a common cause of amblyopia.
- Significant refractive error — nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism large enough to blur vision or make close work tiring. Farsightedness in particular is often missed by screenings.
- Myopia progression — nearsightedness that increases year over year through childhood.
Is my child’s nearsightedness getting worse?
Myopia is becoming more common in children, and the two factors most consistently associated with it are less time outdoors and more sustained near work. Neither is a complete explanation and neither is a guarantee — family history matters too. What is fair to say is that daily outdoor time is generally regarded as protective, and that an annual exam is how progression gets measured rather than guessed at.
Myopia management is offered here. Dr. Nodland sees children from age 6, and will tell you whether myopia management is right for your child. Two approaches are offered: MiSight daily contact lenses, the first contact lens FDA-approved for slowing myopia progression in children, and Stellest spectacle lenses, the first glasses lens to receive FDA authorization for it.
Which of the two suits a child depends on their prescription, their age and whether they are ready to handle a daily lens — that is a conversation at the exam, not a decision to make in advance. More on lens wear generally is on the contact lens exams page.
What is the exam actually like for a young child?
A child does not need to know letters or give reliable answers to get an accurate exam. Objective testing measures how the eye focuses and how the eyes work together without depending on what the child says, and for children who are not reading yet, shapes and pictures replace letters on the chart.
Do you offer vision therapy?
No. Vision therapy is not offered at Eye Expressions, and Dr. Nodland does not provide it. For children under 6, and for children of any age who need vision therapy, he refers to Dr. Christina Murray, OD, FCOVD at the Vision & Learning Center in West Palm Beach — (561) 462-2356. She is a developmental optometrist with specific training in vision development, and FCOVD is the vision development credential, so she takes both kinds of referral — the under-6s and the vision therapy cases.
What about screen time and school?
There is no single safe number of screen hours, and telling families to eliminate screens is not useful advice. Two things are practical: build in breaks from sustained close work, and protect outdoor time. If your child is struggling with reading or homework, rule out vision before assuming it is attention or effort. It removes one variable.
Bring their current glasses to the exam, and tell us how school is going. That context changes what gets tested.
Does insurance cover a child’s eye exam?
Most vision plans cover one comprehensive eye exam per year for a child, often with a materials allowance toward glasses. Children are usually covered as dependents under a parent’s plan, so if you have vision coverage through work, your child likely has it too.
Eye Expressions accepts Medicare, VSP, EyeMed, Humana, Aetna, Anthem, Blue View Vision, MetLife, Superior Vision, Davis Vision and Advantica. Plan networks vary — being covered by a carrier is not the same as your specific plan being one we are contracted with. Call (561) 799-3932 with your card and we will check before you come in. When a child’s exam is scheduled in advance, that check happens ahead of the visit and an estimated copay goes out to you first — worth having in hand if glasses are likely, since the exam and the materials allowance are separate parts of the plan. There is more detail on the insurance page, which sets out what a vision plan pays for and what gets billed medically.
Frequently asked questions
How young a child do you see? Dr. Nodland sees children from age 6. For anything younger, he’ll point you to a pediatric optometrist — they have equipment and techniques built for infants and toddlers, and that’s the right place to start. The referral he makes for under-6s, and for vision therapy at any age, is named above under “Do you offer vision therapy?”
My child passed the school vision screening. Do they still need an exam? Yes. A screening checks distance letter acuity and little else. Farsightedness, astigmatism, focusing and eye-teaming problems, and a weaker eye compensated for by the stronger one can all pass a screening.
Does my child need to know their letters? No. Objective testing measures focus and eye alignment without relying on the child’s answers, and picture or shape charts are used for children who are not reading yet.
Do you carry frames for children? Eye Expressions is a full optical as well as an exam practice — see designer eyewear.
Can I book a Saturday appointment? If you are trying to keep your child out of school, Saturday is not the answer here: there are no regular Saturday exam hours and the online scheduler will not offer you one, so a Saturday exam has to be asked for by phone on (561) 799-3932. Saturday 9am–2pm is the optical — frames, order pickups, adjustments — which is useful when a pair needs straightening after a rough week.
Book your child’s eye exam
Call (561) 799-3932 or book online. New to the practice? See what to bring and insurance.
Eye Expressions · 7100 Fairway Drive, Suite 39, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418 — on Fairway Drive just off PGA Boulevard, with parking at the door. Monday–Friday 10am–6pm · Saturday 9am–2pm (optical; exams by phone request) · Family-owned since 2010 · 5.0 stars from around 500 Google reviews