Pediatric Eye Care in Fort Collins

Pediatric Eye Care

Children's Eye Doctors - Dedicated to Helping Kids See Clearly

Schedule Eye Exam

Pediatric Eye Care: Why Is It Important?

  • Concerned that your baby’s eyesight may be hindering their development?
  • Do your toddler’s eyes appear misaligned?

Studies show that up to 10% of preschoolers have vision problems. However, kids generally aren't aware there's an issue, and don't complain about their eyes. It is therefore crucial to detect the first signs of vision problems before complications arise.

Give them the clear vision and healthy eyes they deserve by visiting our Fort Collins pediatric eye doctor at Foothills Vision and Eye Care.

boy getting eye exam


Safeguard Your Child’s Vision, Now and In the Future

Your Pediatric Eye Care Professional

Our optometry practice in Fort Collins

Photograph of Scott  Haugen
Hours
  • Monday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Tuesday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Wednesday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Thursday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Saturday Closed
  • Sunday Closed
Insurance Plans
  • VSP
  • Medicare
  • United Healthcare
  • Aetna
  • Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield

4 Signs Your Child May Have a Vision Problem

  • Trouble seeing electronic screens

    Your child sits very close, tilts their head or squints to better see TVs, computer screens and other electronic screens.

  • Difficulty reading or following moving objects

    Your child often loses their place while reading, or can’t track a ball as it moves when playing sports.

  • Headaches & eye strain

    Your child complains of tired eyes or headaches after performing tasks that are visually intensive, such as reading or writing.

  • Missed milestones

    Your child may miss milestones such as crawling and walking, or show signs of poor depth perception.

For your child to successfully engage in sports and achieve their academic potential, they need to have healthy eyes and clear vision. The experienced and caring children's eye doctors at Foothills Vision and Eye Care will carefully examine their eyes and provide guidance to ensure your child’s healthy vision.


Pediatric Eye Exams: What You Need to Know

  • Baby’s First Eye Exam- 6 months old

    Though your baby won’t be able to speak yet, we can still assess their eye health. Is there anything abnormal about their eyes' appearance? Do the eyes move in unison? Can your baby’s eyes follow a toy or a familiar face in motion? Do they respond to light? Your child’s general eye health will be assessed for infection, or eye conditions such as an eye turn or potentially sight-threatening eye disease.

  • Eye Exams for Toddlers and Preschoolers: Ages 2 - 5

    At Foothills Vision and Eye Care we do our best to make eye exams fun for the little ones; we use toys and other fun objects where possible, and our eye charts for little kids feature colorful shapes or pictures that they’ll recognize. We check for poor depth perception, color vision problems, strabismus/amblyopia (eye turns/lazy eye), and problems with visual focusing. Our optometrist may dilate your preschooler’s pupils to get a better view of their retina, optic nerve and blood vessels.

  • Eye Exams of School-Age Kids: Ages 6 - 18

    For this age group, our eye care team will use advanced technologies to assess refractive errors and determine how well the visual system is functioning. This includes checking for difficulties with distance and near vision and signs of eye disease, eye-coordination problems or other health conditions.

Patient Reviews
4.9
129 Reviews
5
4
3
2
1
- Mar. 14, 2023
I have been a patient of Dr. Skrdla for many years. I ALWAYS get exceptional, professional, friendl... y service every visit.
- Feb. 25, 2023
Dr. Skrdla is truly the BEST! He’s extremely knowledgeable -not just about everything related to e... ye and vision health but also so much more. I’ve been his patient for 15+ years and I trust him more than any other doctor I’ve seen in that time. I have some complex medical issues (mostly unrelated to my eyes/vision) that he somehow knows more about than most of the specialists I see who are supposed to be experts in those issues… I wish he was a primary care physician. Everyone I’ve ever recommended him to have become longtime patients of his and all feel the same way. Make an appointment with him and you’ll see :-).
- Feb. 24, 2023
Dr Haugen and staff are great! They are friendly and courteous and answered all my questions. Felt... very comfortable during the appointment.
- Feb. 24, 2023
Dr Skrdla is awesome highly recommend him.
- Feb. 22, 2023
Everyone was extremely friendly, helpful and professional. A great experience!
- Feb. 21, 2023
Everyone is super friendly and informative.
- Feb. 13, 2023
Very professional and friendly Dr McClelland was great
- Jan. 23, 2023
Dr Skrdla is fantastic. I enjoy seeing him each year ! He is thorough, on time, personable and sma... rt. Our whole family sees him for our eye exams. Definitely the best there is!
- Jan. 21, 2023
Great eye care
- Jan. 20, 2023
Dr. Skrdla and his staff are wonderful! Great customer service and extremely knowledgeable!
- Jan. 10, 2023
Dr. Haugen has seen me since I was really little. I had complex issues with my eyes and I always fel... t seen at his office. Highly recommend for parents of bespectacled littles 🙂 I have a recent great story though- I live in Chicago but had seen him for a check up while I was in Colorado for a while last winter. But when I switched insurance and needed another pair of glasses, I found an in-network clinic who required a re-exam to give me new glasses. They ended up giving me the wrong prescription! One eye far sighted and the other nearsighted- I think they accidentally typed a plus sign. I bought glasses through a third party because ironically that clinic was too expensive, and of course when I received them they were totally wrong. I called them and they basically brushed me off, and the third party also couldn’t do anything because they had followed the prescription I handed them. So I decided to try and call Dr. Haugen (whose problem this definitely wasn’t!) just a bit before his office closed. He answered himself, sent the correct prescription, and got it fixed for me- when I was all the way in Chicago!
- Jan. 07, 2023
Absolutely fantastic place. I have been going there with my family for 12 years with 4 family memb... ers who need their services and they have always met or exceeded any expectations I would have.
- Dec. 30, 2022
Dr. Skrdla is very knowledgeable and the rest of the staff is extremely friendly and understanding. ... I highly recommend this place!
- Dec. 22, 2022
Happy to be a patient of theirs for many years.
- Dec. 18, 2022
Turnaround was only one week for my new glasses. The lab they use is quite good.
- Dec. 14, 2022
Wonderful staff, great care, and takes their time to make you feel you got individualized care.
- Dec. 08, 2022
Love Dr. Haugen and staff! Always friendly and never pushy. My whole family are patients. Glad we fo... und them. Would recommend to everyone!
- Dec. 07, 2022
Annual eye exam is professional and extremely competent. Would highly recommend Dr. Haugen and his s... taff.
- Dec. 05, 2022
I love the whole team. Always friendly. I am a geek, so I love the technology used to get the best d... iagnosis. And when things don't go perfectly, the team is always eager to help. Always impressed!
- Nov. 29, 2022
Dr. Skrdla is an excellent optometrist. Our family has gone to him for years. He is very thorough, c... ompetent, personable and the appointments are timely. In and out very quickly. Highly recommend he and his staff.

View All 129 Reviews

Pediatric Eye Care FAQs

How do you take care of kids
  • Make sure they wear sunglasses and a hat to protect their eyes from dangerous UV rays when outside.
  • Increase the time they spend outdoors. 
  • Make sure they eat their fruits and veggies, especially those that are high in lutein and zeaxanthin have been found to protect eyes from free radical damage.
  • Schedule regular pediatric eye exams. Detecting and treating eye conditions and diseases commonly found in children, such as strabismus and amblyopia, can help prevent unnecessary struggles and vision problems later in life. The pediatric eye doctor will also check your child’s vision for refractive errors and visual skill deficiencies that might hinder your child’s development.
At what age should I bring my child for their first eye exam?

Our pediatric eye professionals recommend you bring your child in for their first eye exam at around 6 months of age. This allows your child’s eye doctor to check that their vision is progressing as expected. Early detection and treatment of certain conditions at this stage of development are essential for keeping your child’s vision and eye health on track, and can help prevent complications as they grow up.

Can I use Ortho-K lenses if I have dry eye syndrome?

While kids may wear glasses from as early as a few months of age, most kids who wear glasses tend to get them between the ages of 6 and 12. The three main conditions for which they wear eyeglasses are myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism.


eye exam for kids in Fort Collins

Your child deserves to see the world clearly!

Foothills Vision and Eye Care pediatric eye doctors can help.

Schedule Eye Exam