Eye doctors recommend children have their first comprehensive eye exam from six months of age to ensure that their eyes are developing normally. After this initial visit, it is recommended to bring your child for a second eye exam between ages 3-5, and then again before they enter first grade.<\/p>\n
As your child grows older, annual exams are crucial to ensure that their eyes continue to develop normally, and to detect any changes in vision or ocular health.<\/p>\n
Important Note:\u00a0Vision screenings conducted by schools are NOT a substitute for a comprehensive eye exam\u2014 ocular diseases and many vision problems cannot be identified through a screening. <\/strong><\/p>\n Eye doctors utilize specific clinical and diagnostic tools and assessments to determine your child\u2019s ocular health and visual abilities.<\/p>\n Ocular development begins in the womb and continues throughout childhood and adolescence. The development of good vision is critical in a child\u2019s first six years of life. This time is considered a \u201cvulnerable period\u201d because it is a time when children are most vulnerable to damaging vision changes.<\/p>\n Many sight-threatening vision problems can arise as a result of an eye disease or trauma to the eye that occur in the first six years of a child\u2019s life.<\/p>\n Young children may not report if they feel that something is wrong\u2014 simply because they don\u2019t <\/b>realize <\/i><\/b>that something is wrong!<\/b><\/p>\n It is important for parents to pay attention to signs that their child may be suffering from an eye health or vision problem.<\/p>\n Signs that may indicate an eye disease:<\/strong><\/p>\n The sooner a problem is noticed, the sooner it can be diagnosed and treated\u2014 resulting in increased positive outcomes.<\/i><\/p>\n A congenital cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens, and is present at birth. An infantile cataract develops in the first year of life. However, since many cases of congenital cataracts are not detected at birth, and are discovered within the first year of life, these two names refer to the same eye disease and are commonly used interchangeably by eye doctors.<\/p>\n Although it is rare, childhood cataract is one of the most common causes of blindness and severe visual impairment in children:<\/strong><\/p>\n A cataract generally appears as a white spot on the pupil and causes vision to be cloudy, as if looking through a dirty window. The degree of severity can vary from being visually insignificant to causing severe vision loss.<\/p>\n Babies can be born with congenital cataracts if any of the following present while in utero:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Other risks include, if the mother contacts any of the following illnesses during pregnancy:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Congenital cataracts require early intervention to prevent the development of other vision problems such as amblyopia, or \u201clazy eye\u201d. Lazy eye causes eye misalignment and reduced vision, which can impact a child\u2019s learning ability, appearance, and self esteem.<\/p>\n How are congenital cataracts treated?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n The density and location of the cataract will determine the appropriate treatment plan. If the cataract is severe, surgery during infancy will be recommended to restore normal vision development and prevent vision problems such as amblyopia.<\/p>\n Other treatments, with or without surgery, include eyeglasses, contact lenses, bifocals, and eye-patching.<\/p>\n Pediatric cataracts<\/b><\/p>\n Pediatric cataracts are diagnosed in older babies or children. While in some cases, pediatric cataracts are actually previously undetected congenital cataracts, about 40 percent of pediatric cataracts develop as a result of trauma to the eye such as a hard blow.<\/p>\n Congenital and pediatric glaucoma is a rare condition that presents in 2.3 in 100,000 newborns and children<\/strong>, and is caused by high pressure within the eye.\u00a0 The high pressure is caused by a defect in the drainage angle in the eye\u2014 which inhibits the aqueous fluid from efficiently draining out of the eye. High ocular pressure can cause damage to the optic nerve, which can lead to permanent vision loss.<\/p>\n Symptoms include:<\/b><\/p>\n Retinoblastoma is a rare form of ocular cancer that occurs in 1 in 14,000 \u2013 18,000 live births.<\/strong><\/p>\n In many cases, the first sign of the cancer is a cross-eyed appearance or one or both pupils appear white instead of red in pictures. While there are many reasons for pupils to appear white in flash photographs, this cancer should be ruled out through a thorough eye exam. If a tumor is discovered, the eye is generally removed.<\/p>\n It is important to note that this form of cancer is highly inheritable\u2014 if retinoblastoma runs in the family, it is crucial to bring your child for regular eye exams to ensure monitoring of healthy ocular development.<\/p>\n A coloboma is a genetic condition that forms when a baby\u2019s eyes are developing during fetal development. In this disease, the developing eye does not close around the central seam, possibly causing a gap within many structures of the eye\u2014the iris, macula, cornea, optic nerve, lens, uvea, or eyelid.<\/p>\n This rare condition occurs in approximately 1 out of every 100,000 births.<\/strong><\/p>\n Symptoms include:<\/strong><\/p>\n A coloboma can cause other health issues such as glaucoma and retinal detachment due to the eye\u2019s increased vulnerability to high intraocular pressure or weak attachments to the retina, depending on the location of the coloboma.<\/p>\n There is currently no treatment to seal the gap, but with regular eye exams and proper management, vision loss can be prevented.<\/p>\n Retinopathy of prematurity, also called retrolental fibroplasia (RLF) and Terry syndrome, is a disease that affects babies that are born prematurely, before 32 gestational weeks, and have been given oxygen therapy for premature lung development.<\/p>\n Every year 32,000 infants worldwide, become blind or develop severe visual impairments due to ROP.<\/strong><\/p>\n Retinopathy of prematurity is a progessive eye disease, caused by abnormal development of retinal blood vessels that can cause vision threatening complications such as:<\/p>\n While most infants show spontaneous improvements, in more severe cases, infants will require laser treatment.<\/p>\n Risk factors<\/b><\/p>\n Schedule an eye exam<\/strong><\/a> with an eye doctor near you who can diagnose and manage any eye problems your child may have.<\/p>\n SEE RELATED: <\/strong>Retinoblastoma<\/a><\/p>\n\n\tChildhood development and vision<\/h2>\n
The \u201cvulnerable period\u201d<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Childhood eye diseases<\/b><\/h2>\n
Congenital Cataracts<\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Congenital and Pediatric Glaucoma<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Retinoblastoma<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Coloboma<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
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