Common Eye Problems in Children
It is difficult to determine at an early age when your child has an eye problem. One red flag is when your kid starts school and finds it hard to read the blackboard. Other physical signs may suggest reading problems.
Children who face vision impairment can have a very challenging childhood. During their developmental years, children need to have good vision to understand the world around them. Good vision helps them to grasp and process necessary information, so they develop skills to handle daily tasks.
Eye Problems to Monitor
All our senses are important, but loss of vision radically changes our ability to function. Here are some of the most common eye problems in children to monitor carefully:
● Color blindness: Colors that children have difficulty identifying are blue and green. They often interchange these colors, which is evident when they draw.
● Strabismus: The eyes are misaligned. One can be turned out, and the other is down. When one eye is extremely misaligned, your child is at risk of suffering from a “lazy eye.”
● Amblyopia: Also known as “lazy eye,” this condition is prevalent in infants to preschool kids. Most seek treatment, which could involve wearing prescription glasses or surgery.
● Refractive errors: The most common eye problems in children are farsightedness, nearsightedness and astigmatism. Kids are wear eyeglasses to correct their visual impairment.
Signs
If your child has or does any of the following, it is time to seek professional medical:
● Squinting
● Difficulty reading
● Sitting too close to the TV
● Inability to see the blackboard
● Chronic eye redness
● Chronic tearing of the eyes
● Constant eye rubbing
● Poor focus
● Poor visual tracking (following an object)
● Abnormal alignment or movement of the eyes (after 6 months of age)
● Extreme light sensitivity
In some cases, the pupil of a child with a serious eye problem is white rather than the normal black color. Although an eye doctor could easily determine this, you may want to volunteer the information if you are seeking a medical opinion.
Accidents often cause other eye problems. Children are always at risk of hurting their eyes, especially when they run around carrying toys. They can accidentally poke their eyes with a sharp edge or just bump a hard surface.
The experienced ophthalmologists and optometrists at East Side Eye Associates (212-861-6200) and Tribeca Eye Associates (212-693-7200) specialize in all of these conditions. To improve your vision while you work at your computer, call us now.
