What is a pediatric
ophthalmologist?
An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who has attended four
years of medical school, followed by a year of internship
and then at least three more years of hospital based residency
training. Ophthalmologists provide total eye care, from routine
examinations to complicated eye surgery, and are licensed
to prescribe all types of medication. Pediatric ophthalmologists
have chosen to specialize in treating children’s eyes,
and have taken at least one additional year of training.
When and why should my child’s
eyes be tested?
Very early detection of treatable eye problems in infancy
and childhood can have far reaching consequences for vision
and, in some cases, for general health. Vision screening in
children can detect important eye problems such as poor vision
in one or both eyes and misalignment of the eyes. Primary
care doctors begin screening children even in the newborn
nursery and continue assessing eye health throughout childhood.
Formal vision screening evaluations should begin by 3 to 4
years of age. An ophthalmologist is able to perform a full
eye examination on any child at any age if there is any question
of an eye problem.
What should I look for when buying glasses for my child?
Glasses that are uncomfortable are not likely to be well tolerated,
so make sure you choose from an assortment of frames that
are designed for your child’s age and size. Including
children in the selection process makes getting glasses more
fun and also improves the likelihood they ultimately will
be happy with the pair chosen. Polycarbonate lenses are strongly
recommended for children because of their safety and light
weight. The eye care professional helping you should be experienced
in fitting children with glasses; do not hesitate to ask for
advice.
When can my child wear contact
lenses?
There is no set answer to this frequently asked question.
Contact lenses can be worn, physically, by children of any
age. Infants often wear them after surgery has been done to
remove congenital cataracts. Contact lenses have to correct
vision, but must do so without causing eye discomfort, infections,
or disease. Therefore, they require closer monitoring by the
doctor than eyeglasses. In general, it may be a time to consider
contact lenses when your child expresses the desire to wear
them and is mature enough to master the hygiene and skill
required for their insertion and removal.
Who should wear protective eyewear
for sports?
All individuals who only see well out of one eye and athletes
who have had surgery or trauma and whose ophthalmologists
recommend eye protection must wear protective eyewear. It
is also strongly recommended for all other athletes due to
the high frequency of sports-related eye injuries in children
and adolescents. Basketball, baseball, swimming/pool sports,
racquet/court sports, and football are among those associated
with the highest incidence of eye injuries. When properly
fitted, appropriate eye protection has been found to reduce
the risk of significant sports-related eye injury by at least
90%.
Do people who are color blind see
colors?
People with ordinary colorblindness do see colors and aren’t
blind. In fact, 8% of males and less than 1% of females are
born with the inherited condition of faulty color perception.
There are three types of color receptors in the eye: blue,
green, and red. Most people born with colorblindness have
a faulty gene on the X-chromosome for the red or green pigment.
Red-green colorblindness@ does not result in poor vision,
and people with this condition do see the colors red and green.
However, they will confuse reds, browns, olives, and golds,
many pastels will appear similar, and purples will be confused
with blues.
What is strabismus?
Strabismus is the condition where the eyes are misaligned.
Different types of strabismus include crossed eyes (esotropia:
the most common type in children), out-turned eyes (exotropia),
or vertical misalignment (hyper or hypotropia). The problem
may be present intermittently or constantly. Treatment options
depend upon the type of strabismus, and may include glasses,
prism lenses, and/or surgery.
Can cataracts can occur in children
and even newborns?
A cataract is a clouding of the lens inside the eye, which
causes obstruction of the normal visual pathway to the back
of the eye and onto the brain. Because pediatric cataracts
can cause permanent blindness if they are not treated early
enough, those causing very blurry vision must be surgically
removed. Once the cloudy lens has been removed, another focusing
device must take its place. This may involve a contact lens
worn on the eye or an intraocular lens implanted inside the
eye. Glasses are an option when both eyes have had surgery.
My baby’s not crying, so
why all the tears?
The nasolacrimal system drains the tears from the eye to the
nose. That’s why our nose runs when we cry. Blockage
of the tear drainage system occurs in approximately 6% of
newborns, resulting in tearing and often mucous or crusting
of the eye. Initially, treatment involves a regimen of massaging
the tear sac combined with antibiotic drops or ointment if
infection is present. In most infants, the obstruction within
the tear drainage system will clear spontaneously. If this
has not resolved by at least your baby’s first birthday,
then the blockage may need to be opened with a probing procedure
by your ophthalmologist.
Why do some children need eye surgery?
Eye surgery may be necessary in children with conditions such
as misalignment of the eyes, blocked tear ducts, cataracts,
and glaucoma. It has the best chance of a successful outcome
when performed by ophthalmologists and anesthesiologists with
special training in pediatric procedures.
Should my child wear a hat or sunglasses
outside?
Definitely
yes! Did you know that just wearing a hat will reduce exposure
of the eyes to sunlight by approximately one-half? Sunlight
is the main source of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which may
cause damage over time to the eyes, inside and out. A good
general rule of thumb is that if your exposure to sunlight
will be enough to cause sunburn, then a hat and sunglasses
with a UV filter are advised. A favorite hat will reduce UV
exposure in those children who cannot or will not wear sunglasses.
How does an eye see?
The inside of the eye is similar to the inside of a camera.
The colored part of your eye (the iris) has a hole in the
middle (the pupil) that acts like the shutter of a camera.
Once light passes through the pupil, it is focused by a special
lens, passes through a jelly-like substance that fills the
inside of the eyeball, and is projected onto the innermost
lining of the eye that acts like the film in a camera (the
retina). A nerve that attaches to the back of the eye (the
optic nerve) then transmits the information to the brain,
where it is processed.
previous
| next
|
