Child Hearing and Vision

The HKPR District Health Unit understands that every child has the opportunity to experience the world to the fullest through optimal hearing and vision health.

Early intervention is key to a child's success. Our dedicated staff provide personalized guidance and support, empowering parents and caregivers with the knowledge and resources to foster optimal hearing and vision development.

Hearing

Learn about newborn hearing screening and what services and support are available if your baby has hearing loss. Find out how to prepare your baby for a hearing test.

About the Infant Hearing Program

Hearing loss can develop during early childhood. It is important to pay close attention to your baby’s speech and language development as any issues may be a sign of hearing loss.

It is important to detect hearing loss as early as possible.

The Infant Hearing Program provides:

hearing screening for all newborns in hospital or community settings
assessments to identify permanent hearing loss
monitoring of children at risk of developing hearing loss
language development services

The Infant Hearing Program (IHP) services are available to Ontario residents.

Newborn Hearing Screen

All newborns in hospital and community settings will get universal hearing screening as part of the Infant Hearing Program.

Hearing screening identifies infants who should have more in-depth testing for hearing loss as early as possible.

Most babies will pass the newborn hearing screening. This means that their hearing is fine at that time.

Get a fact sheet about your baby’s hearing screen.

Infant Hearing Program Locations

York, Durham, Peterborough, Northumberland, Haliburton & Kawartha Lakes

Oak Valley Health
Toll-free: 1-888-703-5437
TTY: 905-773-7282

Kingston and counties of Frontenac, Lennox & Addington, Leeds, Grenville, Lanark, Hastings and Prince Edward

KidsInclusive
Local: 613-544-3400 ext. 3175
Toll-free: 1-855-544-3400 ext. 3175
Fax: 613-548-6017

For more information, contact:

ServiceOntario
Toll-free: 1-866-821-7770
Toll-free TTY: 1-800-387-5559

Vision

Healthy childhood vision is crucial for a child's overall development. Just as with hearing, clear and functional vision is essential for children as they explore and make sense of the world around them. It enables them to recognize and understand the visual cues that form the foundation of their learning and interaction with others. Early detection and intervention for vision issues are paramount in ensuring that children have the best possible visual capabilities for their growth and development.

Vision Health

Visual health is important for overall health. Eye problems can affect a child socially, physically, and academically. Children 0-19 are eligible for a free eye exam by an optometrist every 12 months.

Eye exams can catch visual issues early and is the only way to determine if a child’s eyes are developing properly. Caught early, these issues can improve or potentially be resolved.

Eye exams for children ages 0 – 19 are covered by OHIP annually.

Eye See... Eye Learn® Program

Starting July 1^st, 2022, the Eye See…Eye Learn® program is available to children born in 2017 and 2018 that are in any junior or senior kindergarten program. To participate in the program the eye exam must be with a participating optometrist.

If required, Eye See…Eye Learn® will provide one pair of glasses per child courtesy of our participating optometrists and corporate partners Essilor Vision Foundation Canada and Modern Optical Canada. The frames are fashionable and are made with high quality and impact resistant polycarbonate lenses. The estimated value of the glasses is over $300.

For more information, send an email to: esel@optom.on.ca.

Click here to find a participating Optometrist.

For more information watch the video below!