Pediatric Eye Care
The American Optometric Association recommends that all children have their first eye exam at 6 months of age, another exam at age 3, and a third exam prior to starting school. Our doctor will test for excessive or unequal amounts of nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism, eye movement ability, and eye health problems. Our doctor believes in proactively protecting our children's eyesight by preventing amblyopia and high myopia.
Amblyopia
Amblyopia, or lazy eye, is a visual development disorder in which an eye fails to achieve normal visual acuity even with prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses. Amblyopia begins during infancy and early childhood. In most cases, only one eye is affected. However, in some cases, reduced visual acuity can occur in both eyes.
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There are 3 types of amblyopia:
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Strabismic: presence of a misaligned eye or “eye turn”
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Refractive: one eye has significantly more prescription
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Deprivation: due to decreased sensory input to the eye i.e. congenital cataract​
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Treatment:
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Early detection and treatment of amblyopia is essential for normal visual development. Studies have shown that uncorrected refractive errors and amblyopia can result in poor reading performance and delays in reaching developmental milestones.
Amblyopia treatment includes eyeglasses and/or contact lenses, patching therapy, vision therapy, and strabismus surgery. Even though the critical period for intervention is by age 8, older children and adults with amblyopia may benefit from treatment using computer programs that stimulate neural changes leading to improvements in visual acuity and contrast sensitivity.
InfantSEE
An individual’s vision is determined by refractive (the powers of the cornea and crystalline lens) and axial components of the eye. Myopia, or nearsightedness, is associated with longer axial length, which is the distance between the cornea and the retina’s central focus, the fovea. As a result of this axial growth, myopic individuals have a higher risk of developing retinal detachment, cataracts, glaucoma, and maculopathy.
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These are all conditions that could lead to vision loss.
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When detected early, retinal detachments and cataracts are treatable with surgery. However, studies have shown that high myopes who undergo cataract surgery may have increased complications. There is currently no cure for glaucoma and maculopathy, and in advanced cases, these conditions will result in blindness. Therefore, it is crucial that myopia is treated early before it causes health risks.
