Newswise — In observance of Children's Eye Health and Safety Month in September, the American Academy of Ophthalmology—the Eye M.D. Association—recommends screening infants for common eye problems during their regular pediatric appointments, as well as vision screening for all children starting at approximately three years of age.
About one-quarter of school-aged children have vision problems. Of children ages three to five, nearly one in twenty has a problem that could result in permanent vision loss if left untreated.
"Vision problems can be corrected and the effects reversed if identified and treated early," said Stuart Dankner, MD, a pediatric ophthalmologist in Baltimore. "If visual symptoms or other risk factors are found during vision screening, the child should then be referred to an Eye M.D. for a comprehensive examination. For example, amblyopia, or lazy eye, is the leading cause of treatable blindness in children. The earlier it is detected and treated, the better chance of preventing a child's permanent vision loss."
Eye conditions that can affect children include:"¢ Strabismus— sometimes called "crossed eyes," this disorder can lead to serious vision problems. It can often be corrected with glasses, or in some cases, surgery. "¢ Amblyopia—this is a serious disorder in which the brain "shuts off" images from a "weaker" or misaligned eye. The problem can often be corrected by patching the stronger eye for a time. If not treated early, the condition can become permanent. "¢ Ptosis— Ptosis is a drooping of the upper eyelid. The lid may droop slightly, or it may completely cover the pupil. At times, ptosis can restrict or block normal vision. Surgery usually corrects the problem."¢ Refractive Errors— refractive errors occur when the shape of the eye doesn't refract light properly, so that the image you see is blurred. Refractive errors include nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) and astigmatism, which can be corrected with glasses or, for older children, contact lenses. "¢ Congenital (or inherited) eye disorders—these are rare, but can be serious. Sometimes a vision problem can signal more serious diseases of other systems of the body, such as diabetes.
Make sure your children are truly ready for school. Have their vision screenedbefore it's too late.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the world's largest association of eye physicians and surgeons—Eye M.D.s—with more than 27,000 members. For more information about eye health care, visit the Academy's partner Web site, the Medem Network, at http://www.medem.com/eyemd. To find an Eye M.D. in your area, visit the Academy's Web site at http://www.aao.org.
RSS