The management of eye problems in children requires special knowledge and skills. At Wills Eye, we are dedicated to providing the highest quality care in order to preserve and protect vision and make a significant difference in your child's life.
Children can be afflicted by many eye diseases. They may be born with or may develop cataracts, glaucoma, retinal and orbital tumors, or other problems. More commonly, children may need glasses to see more clearly or intervention for misaligned eyes (strabismus) or poor visual development in one eye (amblyopia).
Vision is important as a baby begins to grow and learn. Even in infancy, it is important that your child receive regular eye examinations, probably by your pediatrician at first, then later by an ophthalmologist or other eye care specialist. Certainly by pre-school your child should be having regular eye examinations to maintain proper eye health.
For children, eyesight is important because good vision is often related to learning. As with adults, regular eye examinations are important to maintain proper eye health, since some serious eye disorders produce no early warning symptoms.
Keeping an Eye on Your Child's Vision
Barry Wasserman, MD
Retinoblastoma
Retinoblastoma is the leading eye cancer in infants and children. Early diagnosis and treatment is important for preventing metastasis and death of the child and additionally preserving the eye and vision. Other cancers can later occur in these children including pinealoblastoma, osteosarcoma, and melanoma. This pediatric cancer can be inherited from an affected parent who has retinoblastoma so it is important to examine all newborns of parents with retinoblastoma.
The diagnosis of retinoblastoma is made by an experienced eye doctor recognizing the classic features of retinoblastoma using indirect ophthalmoscopy. There are many eye conditions that can occur in children so the doctor must be confident that the child has a cancer before starting potentially serious treatments. This is important as the diagnosis must be correct before starting chemotherapy or radiotherapy. There are several tests that help to confirm retinoblastoma including ocular ultrasonography, fluorescein angiography, photographic imaging, optical coherence tomography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging.
Amblyopia
When a child is born with normal eyes, he or she has the potential for good vision in both eyes, but must learn to see with each of them. If for some reason, the child prefers to use one eye more than the other, the preferred eye learns to see well but the other suffers from lack of use. It does not learn to see as well, even with glasses. The non-preferred eye is said to be lazy or have amblyopia. This vulnerable period of visual development ends around age eight or nine. Learn more.
Nystagmus
Nystagmus is a condition where the eyes make repetitive shaking movements. The eyes can jerk exclusively in one direction, or make back and forth movements. Nystagmus can make the eye look jittery and affect both eyes or just one.
Strabismus
Strabismus, also called “lazy eye,” crossed eyes, “wall eye”, occurs when the eyes do not work as a team - both eyes are not directed or focused at the same object. It exists in two to four percent of the general population and is the most common ocular disorder treated by pediatric ophthalmologists.
Retinopathy of Prematurity
When babies are born prematurely, especially before 32 weeks, and particularly when they have low birthweight or are very sick, the blood vessels of the retina inside of the eye may not develop properly. This can lead to blinding scar tissue or detachment of the retina.
Clinic Hours:
Monday through Friday
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Location:
Wills Eye Hospital
840 Walnut Street, Suite 1210
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: (215) 928-3240