Many children and newborns have a variety of vision problems. The sooner these issues are identified and addressed, the better. Pediatric ophthalmology focuses on the treatment of children's eye problems.
Pediatric ophthalmology aids in the early detection of vision-related problems in children. If an eye defect is not repaired within six months of birth, a child will be blind for life. Throughout the first six months of life, the optic nerve is still developing, and if eye problems are not treated at this time, irreversible damage may occur.
Similarly, young children may have a variety of vision problems that they are unaware of. This is why it is critical to include pediatric ophthalmology in the curriculum.
The Department of Ophthalmology's pediatric ophthalmologists provide comprehensive care for children's eye problems as well as adult strabismus, including diagnosis, treatment, and management (deviated eyes). We focus on inherited eye diseases such as congenital (present at birth) glaucoma and cataracts.
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What happens during your child's eye exam?
Your child will first have a series of eye exams to determine their overall eye health. Your child's exam will most likely last several hours. The tests are usually performed by two or three of our doctors. During the first round of tests, we will discover the following:
• How well your child notices nearby and distant objects. If your child cannot read, we can assess his or her vision using tests that may include pictures or shapes.
• Depth perception in your child.
• The ease with which your child's eyes align and move together when tracking items (done by an orthoptist).
• Your child's peripheral vision, also known as side vision.
• In the exam's second section, we may:
• Use eye drops to dilate or widen your child's pupils.
• After about 30 minutes, an ophthalmologist will examine the interior of your child's eyes through the widened pupils to see if there are any problems and whether your child requires corrective lenses.
• Examine your child's eyes with special lights and lenses to determine whether or not he or she requires glasses and to rule out any problems.
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