For parents in Grand Rapids, ensuring their children are healthy, happy and safe is a very important part of everything they do. Knowing if and when a child may need to see a pediatric ophthalmologist is important if you have any concerns about the child’s eyesight.
It can be particularly different to know if a child is having a vision problem since young children are simply not able to articulate the problem. However, there are some signs that parents can watch for that will alert them to the need to make an appointment with a pediatric ophthalmologist.
Remember; a pediatric ophthalmologist is a medical expert who works with conditions of the eyes. He or she is not just able to diagnose and treat vision problems, but also, address diseases and conditions, eye malformations or potential health issues that may impact a child’s vision over time. These specialists are uniquely trained and experienced in working with kids and know how to conduct examinations in child and parent-friendly ways.
Key Signs
Signs that parents need to watch for that indicate the need to make an appointment with a pediatric ophthalmologist include:
* Constant rubbing of the eyes with or without redness or tearing
* Children that seem to have difficulty in seeing items in different lighting conditions
* Drooping of one or both eyelids, which may be called a lazy eye or more correctly ptosis.
* Eye misalignment where the eyes do not track together but seem to move and work independently.
* Failure of an otherwise healthy eye to be “recognized” by the brain. This is called amblyopia and needs to be treated before the child reaches the age of 9 for optimal results and full vision in the eye.
* Difficulty in seeing objects that are near or far or at all distances.
* Eyes that cross, particularly when a child is trying to focus on something far away. This condition is known as accommodative esotropia and can be treated with glasses.
* The difficulty with reading, writing or drawing either at school or home.
In most cases, vision problems are not the cause of learning challenges in schools, a pediatric ophthalmologist in Grand Rapids can rule out this issue. He or she can also work with the child to determine if there is a visual processing problem that may be resulting in increased challenges in any area of visual learning tasks. From this information better training and assistance can be provided to the child, and any medical issues can also be addressed to support the diagnosis.
