EYE HEALTH FOR CHILDREN
Signs of Eye and Vision Problems:
•Parents Role in Visual Development
•Baby’s First Eye Exam
•Excessive tearing
•Red or encrusted eyelids
•Constant eye turn
•Extreme sensitivity to light
•Appearance of a white pupil
The appearance of any of these signs should require immediate attention by your pediatrician or optometrist.
The presence of eye and vision problems in infants is rare.
Most babies begin life with healthy eyes and start to develop the visual abilities they will need throughout life without difficulty.
But occasionally, eye health and vision problems can develop.
•Excessive tearing
–this may indicate blocked tear ducts
Lacrimal Irrigation:
This is a very common occurrence in infants. Most of the time, this is not concerning as the tear ducts are still forming. However, this condition must not be ignored as more severely blocked tear ducts may be present and therefore, need medical attention. One way to open up the tear duct is a process called lacrimal irrigation, where the optometrist will physically probe at the tear duct and open the cavity.
•Red or encrusted eyelids
–this could be a sign of an eye infection
Red eyes or eyelids should never be ignored, especially in children. Children are susceptible to a myriad of bacteria that adults are mostly immune to. Some of these cases may even be viral or fungal. Nonetheless, it is always a good idea to take your infant to an optometrist. Especially since most pediatricians prescribe antibiotics for almost 100% of their red eye cases. Antibiotics aren’t helpful against a virus or fungus. Get proper ocular care and treatment from your local optometrist. This is true for all of us at any age group – for the best care, go to a doctor of optometry for any eye condition.
•Constant eye turn
–this may signal a problem with eye muscle control
Constant or Intermittent:
This picture on the right is actually demonstrating normal eye alignment. This is important to note for two reasons:
1.Epicanthal folds (common in asian babies) sometimes fool us to think the baby’s eyes aren’t aligned.
2.Bring baby pictures with you to your child’s eye exam. It can sometimes provide very valuable information.
Eye turns may be constant or intermittent before 6 months of age. These may self-resolve. It is especially important to note any eye turns after 6 months of age, regardless of whether it is constant or intermittent.
•Extreme sensitivity to light
–this may indicate an elevated pressure in the eye
Buphthalmos:
The light sensitivity may occur from a hazy cornea (occurs from the elevated intraocular pressure).
Another thing you may see is buphthalmos, where one eye appears larger in size than the other eye, especially the cornea. This is common in pediatric glaucoma.
•Appearance of a white pupil
–this may indicate the presence of an eye cancer
–Leukocoria
Leukocoria literally means “white pupil” and can be a very scary sign. There are multiple conditions that can cause leukocoria in an infant’s eye, but the most concerning would be a retinal tumor or RETINOBLASTOMA.
Some other conditions may not be as concerning. Nonetheless, leukocoria is a condition that must not be overlooked.
•There are many things parents can do to help their baby's vision develop properly.
•The following are some examples of age-appropriate activities that can assist an infant's visual development.
Birth to 4 months:
•Use a nightlight or other dim lamp in your baby's room.
•Change the crib's position frequently and change your child's position in it.
•Keep reach-and-touch toys within your baby's focus, about eight to twelve inches.
•Talk to your baby as you walk around the room.
•Alternate right and left sides with each feeding.
•Toys like building blocks can help boost fine motor skills and small muscle development.
5 to 8 months:
•Hang a mobile, crib gym or various objects across the crib for the baby to grab, pull and kick.
•Give the baby plenty of time to play and explore on the floor.
•Provide plastic or wooden blocks that can be held in the hands.
•Play patty cake and other games, moving the baby's hands through the motions while saying the words aloud.
9 to 12 months:
•Play hide and seek games with toys or your face to help the baby develop visual memory.
•Name objects when talking to encourage the baby's word association and vocabulary development skills.
•Encourage crawling and creeping.
12 to 24 months:
•Roll a ball back and forth to help the child track objects with the eyes visually.
•Give the child building blocks and balls of all shapes and sizes to play with to boost fine motor skills and small muscle development.
•Read or tell stories to stimulate the child's ability to visualize and pave the way for learning and reading skills.
•Baby’s First Eye Exam
•An infant should receive his or her first eye exam between the ages of 6 and 12 months.
•Remember: children often won’t complain of visual issues
Even if no eye or vision problems are apparent, at about age 6 months, you should take your baby to your doctor of optometry for his or her first thorough eye examination. Then, follow-up with annual eye exams until the age of 18. DO NOT RELY ON YOUR PEDIATRICIAN’S vision screening as it is not thorough and it does not replace a comprehensive eye exam and ocular health check.
Things that the optometrist will test for include:
•excessive or unequal amounts of nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism
•eye movement ability
•eye health problems
These problems are not common, but it is important to identify children who have them at this young age. Vision development and eye health problems are easier to correct if treatment begins early.
Signs of Eye and Vision Problems:
•Parents Role in Visual Development
•Baby’s First Eye Exam
•Excessive tearing
•Red or encrusted eyelids
•Constant eye turn
•Extreme sensitivity to light
•Appearance of a white pupil
The appearance of any of these signs should require immediate attention by your pediatrician or optometrist.
The presence of eye and vision problems in infants is rare.
Most babies begin life with healthy eyes and start to develop the visual abilities they will need throughout life without difficulty.
But occasionally, eye health and vision problems can develop.
•Excessive tearing
–this may indicate blocked tear ducts
Lacrimal Irrigation:
This is a very common occurrence in infants. Most of the time, this is not concerning as the tear ducts are still forming. However, this condition must not be ignored as more severely blocked tear ducts may be present and therefore, need medical attention. One way to open up the tear duct is a process called lacrimal irrigation, where the optometrist will physically probe at the tear duct and open the cavity.
•Red or encrusted eyelids
–this could be a sign of an eye infection
Red eyes or eyelids should never be ignored, especially in children. Children are susceptible to a myriad of bacteria that adults are mostly immune to. Some of these cases may even be viral or fungal. Nonetheless, it is always a good idea to take your infant to an optometrist. Especially since most pediatricians prescribe antibiotics for almost 100% of their red eye cases. Antibiotics aren’t helpful against a virus or fungus. Get proper ocular care and treatment from your local optometrist. This is true for all of us at any age group – for the best care, go to a doctor of optometry for any eye condition.
•Constant eye turn
–this may signal a problem with eye muscle control
Constant or Intermittent:
This picture on the right is actually demonstrating normal eye alignment. This is important to note for two reasons:
1.Epicanthal folds (common in asian babies) sometimes fool us to think the baby’s eyes aren’t aligned.
2.Bring baby pictures with you to your child’s eye exam. It can sometimes provide very valuable information.
Eye turns may be constant or intermittent before 6 months of age. These may self-resolve. It is especially important to note any eye turns after 6 months of age, regardless of whether it is constant or intermittent.
•Extreme sensitivity to light
–this may indicate an elevated pressure in the eye
Buphthalmos:
The light sensitivity may occur from a hazy cornea (occurs from the elevated intraocular pressure).
Another thing you may see is buphthalmos, where one eye appears larger in size than the other eye, especially the cornea. This is common in pediatric glaucoma.
•Appearance of a white pupil
–this may indicate the presence of an eye cancer
–Leukocoria
Leukocoria literally means “white pupil” and can be a very scary sign. There are multiple conditions that can cause leukocoria in an infant’s eye, but the most concerning would be a retinal tumor or RETINOBLASTOMA.
Some other conditions may not be as concerning. Nonetheless, leukocoria is a condition that must not be overlooked.
•There are many things parents can do to help their baby's vision develop properly.
•The following are some examples of age-appropriate activities that can assist an infant's visual development.
Birth to 4 months:
•Use a nightlight or other dim lamp in your baby's room.
•Change the crib's position frequently and change your child's position in it.
•Keep reach-and-touch toys within your baby's focus, about eight to twelve inches.
•Talk to your baby as you walk around the room.
•Alternate right and left sides with each feeding.
•Toys like building blocks can help boost fine motor skills and small muscle development.
5 to 8 months:
•Hang a mobile, crib gym or various objects across the crib for the baby to grab, pull and kick.
•Give the baby plenty of time to play and explore on the floor.
•Provide plastic or wooden blocks that can be held in the hands.
•Play patty cake and other games, moving the baby's hands through the motions while saying the words aloud.
9 to 12 months:
•Play hide and seek games with toys or your face to help the baby develop visual memory.
•Name objects when talking to encourage the baby's word association and vocabulary development skills.
•Encourage crawling and creeping.
12 to 24 months:
•Roll a ball back and forth to help the child track objects with the eyes visually.
•Give the child building blocks and balls of all shapes and sizes to play with to boost fine motor skills and small muscle development.
•Read or tell stories to stimulate the child's ability to visualize and pave the way for learning and reading skills.
•Baby’s First Eye Exam
•An infant should receive his or her first eye exam between the ages of 6 and 12 months.
•Remember: children often won’t complain of visual issues
Even if no eye or vision problems are apparent, at about age 6 months, you should take your baby to your doctor of optometry for his or her first thorough eye examination. Then, follow-up with annual eye exams until the age of 18. DO NOT RELY ON YOUR PEDIATRICIAN’S vision screening as it is not thorough and it does not replace a comprehensive eye exam and ocular health check.
Things that the optometrist will test for include:
•excessive or unequal amounts of nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism
•eye movement ability
•eye health problems
These problems are not common, but it is important to identify children who have them at this young age. Vision development and eye health problems are easier to correct if treatment begins early.
