What A Children's Optometrist Might Tell You?

The health of eyes depends on the overall growth pattern, development, and nutrition of your child. You need to get your child’s eyes checked regularly to identify any upcoming eye problems and correct them in time. For this purpose, a general eye doctor may not be enough. A children’s optometrist would specialize in problems with children’s eyes, and you need to find one near you. Let’s try to find out more about these professional experts.

When to Take a Child to a Children’s Optometrist?

Children’s Optometrist

Children are often not able to understand their own problems and keep complaining. Some are too young to communicate their problem to you. Therefore, you need to keep an eye on the symptoms and decide your course of action. You should take your child to a children’s optometrist if you notice any of the following signs:

• Extreme sensitivity to light
• Constant rubbing of eyes
• Difficulty focusing on objects
• Difficulty following a moving object
• Abnormal movement or alignment of eyes even after 6 months of age
• Redness or tearing in eyes
• White spots in the black pupil

Look out for these symptoms in school-going children: 

• Squinting
• Watching TV from too close
• Difficulty reading
• If the child complains that he or she is unable to see distant objects clearly
• If the child complains that he or she is not able to read what’s written on the class blackboard 

Watch out for signs like crossed eyes and poor vision. If diagnosed early, most eye problems can be corrected in time. So, if you notice any of these signs, take your child to a children’s optometrist to get him or she thoroughly checked and treated. 

Common Eye Diseases Among Children: 

Depending on your child’s symptoms and based on eye tests, your children’s optometrist may be able to diagnose any of the following eye disorders in your little one: 

Children’s Optometrist

• Lazy eye: Also known as amblyopia, lazy eye is a childhood disorder in which vision does not develop properly because the brain does not build a link with an eye. Often this condition affects one eye only, and the child is able to see clearly with another eye. If left untreated, this condition can lead to complete vision loss from the affected eye.

• Strabismus: In this condition, an eye gets misaligned either up, down, in or out. Usually, patching the good eye can be effective in forcing the bad eye to start working properly. But in extreme cases, special glasses or surgery may be recommended.

• Myopia: In this condition, the child is not able to see distant objects clearly, and may need to wear eyeglasses contact lenses to correct the error.

• Hyperopia: This is the condition in which the child is not able to see close objects clearly, such as reading a book. It can also be corrected with glasses or contact lenses.

• Astigmatism: This condition is caused due to imperfect curve in the front part of the eye. When it causes discomfort or blurred vision, it can be corrected with eyeglasses.

• Congenital glaucoma: It is a rare condition that is often caused due to inheritance. If often happens in children because eye drainage canals did not develop properly before birth. Medicines and surgery may be needed to cure this condition.

• Retinoblastoma: It is a kind of tumor that usually appears in children less than 3 years of age. White spots in the pupil can be a sign of this condition.

• Infantile cataract: This is a condition in which the eye’s lens becomes clouded. It can even occur in newborn babies. 

If your child had a premature birth, or if your child shows any of the above-mentioned symptoms, then it’s better to take him or her to a children’s optometrist as soon as possible.