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Saturday, August 14

Saturday, August 28

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How's Your Vision?

Age 0 to 17

As we go through life our sight develops and changes. Each new phase of life brings different vision health concerns.

Hart Eye Center is dedicated to giving you a lifetime of optimal vision. See how you and your family can maintain healthy eyes through all of life’s changes.

Throughout childhood our eyes continue to grow and change. From our beginning, vision is central to the way we perceive the world and then becomes essential to both our learning process and self-perception. It is important to monitor your child’s vision throughout all of their growth stages to maintain healthy eyesight and protect them from dangerous childhood eye diseases.

Hart Eye Center works closely with parents to insure their children will receive the highest quality eye care. Our doctors are dedicated to making sure that your child can see a world full of possibilities.

FIRST YEAR
During the first year of life our eyes grow and vision goes through stages of development. In the first six months it is important to have an eye doctor check your baby’s vision for problems, such as congenital cataracts, which can lead to amblyopia (lazy eye), nystagmus (eyes look involuntarily from side to side) and strabismus (crossed eyes).

It is also important to monitor your child’s vision during the development stages. If your child’s eyes are not at the proper stage of development, they should see an eye doctor.

The stages of eye development in the first year:

Newborn
A newborn’s acuity (sharpness of vision) is not fully developed. Newborns prefer to look at close, brightly colored objects and faces.
Three Months
By three months of age, most infants’ eyes can follow a moving object and continue to maintain focus when the object stops.
Three to Six Months
At this point in development, the eye’s retina is well developed and visual acuity enables the infant to see small details. Depth perception is developing.
Six Months
At six months the child should have good binocular vision, in which both eyes work together.
One Year
By one year old, the child’s eyes are almost fully developed and can coordinate with the hands and body.

CHILDREN
Many vision problems begin at an early age. If left untreated, an eye problem can intensify and create other serious problems such as affecting a child’s learning ability, personality, social adjustment and self-esteem. One in twenty preschoolers and one in four school-age children have vision difficulties.

The most common child vision problems:
•    Amblyopia (lazy eye)
•    Strabismus (crossed eyes)
•    Myopia (nearsightedness)
•    Hyperopia (farsightedness)
•    Astigmatism (lack of clarity)

Unfortunately, many children will not tell their parents that they have a vision problem. Especially if they have always had the problem, they may not know their vision is impaired.

It is important for children to receive proper eye care and for parents to monitor their child’s behavior for possible eye problems. Regular eye examinations by an eye doctor can reassure you that your child’s eyesight is normal, or catch eye problems early, before they become more serious.

TEENS
Adolescence is period of great change. During puberty, many teens can develop eye problems they did not have in their childhood. It is also normal for teens with vision problems to have prescription changes through out their adolescence.

Many teens that develop an eye problem during adolescence may be hesitant to tell their parents, possibly because of concerns about wearing glasses. Regular examinations with an eye doctor can reveal such problems, and the doctor can offer solutions, such as contacts or glasses that will fit your teen’s vision and lifestyle needs.

Click here for more information on spotting child or teen vision problems.