Pediatric Eye Conditions
Vision loss during childhood can impact a child’s ability to learn important skills for growth, development, and independence, such as crawling, walking, reading, writing, and playing sports.
Examples of Pediatric Eye Conditions
Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)
This eye condition affects a child’s ability to see clearly out of both eyes due to improper stimulation within nerve pathways between the brain and an eye resulting in the brain favoring the one eye. Symptoms include a wandering eye, eyes that may not appear to work together or poor depth perception. Both eyes can be affected.
Anisometropia (Unequal Vision)
Anisometropia means that vision in one eye is worse than the vision in the other due to a difference in refractive error. While individual eyes can have a slight difference in prescription, anisometropia means that the difference between a patient’s eyes must be greater than 1 diopter.
Congenital and Developmental Cataracts
Cataracts are the clouding or opacity of the lens of the eye that occurs in children, either present at birth (congenital) or developing during infancy or childhood (developmental).
Hyperopia (Farsightedness)
Also known as farsightedness, hyperopia is a common vision condition that makes it difficult to see objects that are close. It occurs when light entering the eye focuses behind the retina.
Myopia (Nearsightedness)
Also known as nearsightedness, myopia is a common vision condition in which close objects look clear but distant objects look blurry. Myopia happens when the shape of the eye — or the shape of certain parts of the eye — causes light rays to bend or refract.
Retinopathy of Prematurity
This condition is an eye disease that can affect premature babies born before 31 weeks gestation. It occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow in the retina.
Strabismus (Misaligned Eyes)
This is a disorder in which the eyes don't look in the same direction at the same time. Causes of strabismus can include nerve injury or dysfunction of the muscles controlling the eye.
What can be corrected?
How is the Retina Foundation researching pediatric eye conditions?
Genetics
- An estimated 20% of AMD patients have at least one first-degree relative with the condition.
- Up to 70% of AMD risk is attributable to a genetic family trait.
- The risk of developing AMD is three times greater in people who have a family member with the disease than those without a first-degree relative with AMD.
Prevention
AMD is a generational eye disease that affects central vision by damaging the macula. It is the leading cause of vision loss for those age 50 and above. The biggest risk factor for AMD is age. More than 18 million people in the United States have AMD.
Symptoms include:
- Distorted vision
- Difficulty reading and driving
- Seeing straight lines as wavy
- Unable to see at night
- Overall vision loss
There is currently no cure for AMD, but treatments can help slow the progression of the disease.
Prevention
As with many health conditions, committing to a healthy lifestyle can help you reduce your risk of developing AMD. Consider the following changes to your lifestyle:
- Quit smoking
- Improve your diet and eat your greens
- Exercise regularly
- Prioritize quality sleep
- Wear sunglasses
- Attend regular vision appointments
- Consult with a genetic counselor to understand your risk
Genetics
AMD is a generational disease, so knowing your family’s history of eye conditions is important to help determine your personal risk for developing AMD.
- An estimated 20% of AMD patients have at least one first-degree relative with the condition.
- Up to 70% of AMD risk is attributable to a genetic family trait.
- The risk of developing AMD is three times greater in people who have a family member with the disease than those without a first-degree relative with AMD.
Through our cutting-edge research, the Retina Foundation has isolated the genetic marker for AMD, which creates many opportunities for innovative treatments and prevention methods. If you have a family history of AMD, the Retina Foundation can help. Contact us today about opportunities for genetic testing and screening for AMD.
Your Appointment
A patient visit might consist of the following tests, but not all tests are done at every visit:
- BCVA – Best corrected vision
- LLVA – low luminance vision
- qCSF – contrast sensitivity (yearly)
- LLqCSF – low luminance contrast sensitivity (yearly)
- IOP – eye pressure
- Dilation
- OPTOS
- Heidelberg OCT
- Zeiss Plex-Elite OCT-A
- Microperimetry (PRN)
The eye exams are non-invasive visual function exams. We will dilate both of your eyes in order to better examine your retina. Please bring sunglasses with you. If you do not have any, we will provide disposable sunglasses. We will take pictures of the back of your eye using non-invasive equipment designed to track the retina’s surface and inner layers.
Following the tests, you will visit with your doctor, who can provide insight on the tests and answer any questions.
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