Healthy eyes and vision are an important part of child development. Your eyes should be checked regularly, as many vision problems and eye diseases detected and treated early.
Ophthalmologists
Be sure to make vision care and eye checks a part of your child's routine medical care.
Different types of physicians provide eye care, and the names can be confusing:
Ophthalmologists are medical doctors (have gone to medical school) that offer comprehensive eye care with medicine and surgery.
Pediatric ophthalmologists have "to deal with additional special training for children eye problems.
Optometrists offer services which may be similar to ophthalmologists, but they do not operate. Some optometrists specialize in children's eye problems.
Opticians fit and adjust eyeglasses.
Eye Exams
Routine medical examinations for children "vision include:
Newborns should be checked for general eye health by a pediatrician or family doctor in the hospital nursery.
High-risk newborns (including premature infants), which should be examined by a doctor with a family history of eye problems, and those with obvious eye irregularities.
In the first year of life, all infants should be routinely screened for eye health during checkups with their pediatrician or family doctor.
Around the age of 3 ½, children should undergo eye screening and visual acuity tests (or tests that measure visual acuity) with their pediatrician or family doctor.
About 5 years old, children should have their vision evaluated and orientation of the eye by their doctors. Those who do not pass either test should be examined by their pediatrician or family doctor.
After 5 years, further routine screenings at school or in the doctor's office should be performed, or after the onset of symptoms such as squinting or frequent headaches. (Many times, a teacher will recognize not to see the child in the class.)
Children who should wear glasses or contact lenses yearly checkups by an ophthalmologist need to screen for vision changes.
Spotting Eye Problems
Signs that a child may have vision problems include:
always rub in the eye
extreme sensitivity to light
poor focus
Poor visual tracking (for an object)
abnormal alignment or movement of the eyes (after 6 months)
chronic redness of the eyes
chronic tearing of the eyes
a white pupil instead of black
In school-age children, for other signs like to see:
Inability to see objects in the distance
Inability to read the blackboard
Strabismus
Difficulty reading
Sitting too close to the TV
Watch your child for signs of poor vision or squint. If you notice any eye problems, have your child examined immediately so that the problem does not become permanent.
In early eye disease can often be reversed.
Common eye problems
Several eye diseases can affect children. Most are detected by a vision screening with a visual acuity chart during the preschool years.
Amblyopia ("lazy eye") is poor vision in an eye that may be apparently normal. Two common causes are crossed eyes and a difference in refractive error between the two eyes. If left untreated, amblyopia can cause irreversible vision loss in the affected eye. (Until then, the brain's "programming" signals from that eye will be ignored.) Amblyopia is best treated during the preschool years.
Strabismus is a misalignment of the eyes, they can in turn, out, up or down. If the same eye is chronically aligned incorrectly, amblyopia may develop in that eye. With early detection, vision by patching the properly aligned eye, to restore the working misaligned forcing. Surgery or special glasses can also help to focus the eyes.
Refractive errors mean that the shape of the eye does not break or bend, light properly, so the images appear blurred. Vision problems can also cause amblyopia. Myopia is the most common refractive error in school-age children, others are long-sightedness and astigmatism:
Nearsightedness is poor distance vision (also called myopia), which is usually treated with glasses or contact lenses.
Near vision is presbyopia (also farsightedness), which is usually treated with glasses or contact lenses bad.
Astigmatism is imperfect curvature of the anterior surface of the eye, which is typically treated with glasses when it causes blurred vision and discomfort.
Other eye conditions require immediate action, such as retinopathy of prematurity (a disease that affects the eyes of premature babies) and those associated with a family history, including:
Retinoblastoma is a malignant tumor that usually appears in the first 3 years of life. The affected eye or eyes can vision loss and whiteness in the pupil.
Infantile cataract can occur in newborns. A cataract is a clouding of the eye lens.
Congenital glaucoma in infants is a rare disease that can be inherited. It is the result of wrong or incomplete development of the eye drainage ditches before birth and can be treated with medications and surgery.
Genetic and metabolic eye diseases, such as hereditary diseases that make them more likely to develop cataracts or retinoblastoma, a child may require children to have eye exams at an early age and regular screenings.
Be sure to talk with your doctor if your child is at risk for these conditions.
Glasses and contact lenses
Children of all ages - even babies - can wear glasses and contact lens wearers.
Keep these tips for children who wear glasses:
Do not allow children to pick their own frames.
Plastic frames are best for children who are younger than 2.
If older children wear metal frame, make sure they have spring hinges, which are more durable.
A rubber band on the glasses will help them. In place for active toddlers
Children with severe eye disease may need special lenses with high index called lenses are thinner and lighter than plastic lenses.
Polycarbonate lenses are recommended for all children, especially for children who play sports. Polycarbonate is a hard, unbreakable, transparent thermoplastic used to make thin, light lenses. However, although they are very impact resistant, these lenses scratch more easily than plastic lenses.
Infants born with congenital cataracts, they can have their cataracts surgically removed in the first weeks of life. Some children born with cataracts wear contact lenses after cataract surgery.
Around 10 years old, children can express the desire to get contact lenses for cosmetic reasons or convenience when they play sports. Allowing a child to wear contacts depends on its ability to insert and remove lenses properly, faithfully take them out as needed, and clean it as recommended by the doctor. Contact lenses problems are almost always caused by bad habits and poor hygiene.
Your eye doctor can help you decide which type of vision correction is best for your child.