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Health Information For Parents
Healthy eyes and vision are a critical part of kids’ development. Their eyes should be examined regularly, as many vision problems and eye diseases can be detected and treated early.
Be sure to make vision care and eye checks a part of your child’s routine medical care.
Different kinds of doctors offer eye care, and the names can be confusing:
Routine medical exams for kids’ vision include:
Signs that a child may have vision problems include:
In school-age children, other signs to watch for include:
Watch your child for signs of poor vision or crossed eyes. If you notice any eye problems, have your child examined right away so that the problem doesn’t become permanent. If caught early, eye conditions often can be corrected.
Several eye conditions can affect kids. Most are detected by a vision screening using an acuity chart during the preschool years.
Other eye conditions need immediate attention, such as retinopathy of prematurity (a disease that affects the eyes of premature babies) and those associated with a family history, including:
Be sure to talk to your doctor if your child is at risk for any of these conditions.
Kids of all ages — even babies — can wear glasses and contacts.
Keep these tips in mind for kids who wear glasses:
Babies born with congenital cataracts may need to have the cataracts surgically removed during the first few weeks of life. Some wear contact lenses after cataract surgery.
Around age 10, kids may want to get contact lenses for cosmetic reasons or if they play sports. To wear contacts, a child will need to know how to insert and remove lenses properly, take them out as required, and clean them as recommended by the doctor. Contact lens problems are almost always due to poor habits and bad hygiene.
Your eye doctor can help you decide what type of vision correction is best for your child.
Learn more about conditions of the eyes and factors that may contribute to vision loss.
Amblyopia interferes with the way the eye and the brain work together. The result is poor vision. Treatment may involve glasses, patches, eye drops, or surgery.
Although your eyes are small, their structure is incredibly complex. Find out how they work in this body basics article.
Strabismus causes eyes to wander or cross. Treatment may include glasses, patches, eye drops, or surgery.
Retinoblastoma is a childhood cancer that affects the retina, the area of the eye responsible for sensing light and sending nerve signals to the brain.
What does it mean when your eyes water? It’s not the same as crying – or is it?
Strabismus is when someone’s eyes don’t look straight ahead. It might look as if the person has one crossed eye. Find out more in this article for kids.
Kids who can’t see, or can’t see well, learn to live without using their eyes. To learn more about visual impairment and what causes it, read our article for kids.
Old wives’ tales abound about the eyes. From watching TV to eating carrots, here’s the lowdown on some vision facts and fiction.
When one or more parts of the eye or brain that are needed to process images become diseased or damaged, severe or total loss of vision can occur. Read all about visual impairment.
Some eye injuries can be treated at home, while others require a visit to the doctor or emergency room. Find out what to do if your child has eye pain.
Sometimes the different parts of the eye don’t work together the way they should. When this happens, people wear glasses or contact lenses. Find out more in this article for kids.
Do you know an older person who has cataracts? Find out about this vision problem in this article for kids.
You can treat many minor eye irritations by flushing the eye, but more serious injuries require medical attention.
Even if you’re lucky enough to have perfect vision, taking care of and protecting your eyes is vital to keeping your peepers perfect. Learn all about how to take care of your baby blues (or browns or greens) in this article.
Retinopathy of prematurity, which can happen in premature babies, causes abnormal blood vessel growth in the retina. Some children will need surgery to prevent vision loss or blindness.
The eyes are small compared with most of the body’s other organs, but their structure is incredibly complex. Learn more about eyes, vision, and common problems with both.