Did you know that vision problem can greatly affect a child's education? Children with poor vision often struggle to read books, complete homework and see the board, which leads to difficulties with academic achievement.
Vision problems in children can often be misdiagnosed as a learning disability or seen as the child lacking interest in school, which can prevent them from receiving the help they need.
At Family Eye Care in Old Bridge, we treat a variety of vision problems, ensuring that your child succeeds in school.
What Types of Vision Problems Are Prevalent in Children?
Children can experience a variety of vision problems, but the most prevalent ones that you should know about are:
- Nearsightedness (myopia): This condition causes distant objects to appear blurry, while close-up objects are clear. It is often caused by the eyeball being too long or the cornea being too curved.
- Farsightedness (hyperopia): This condition causes close-up objects to appear blurry, while distant objects are clear. It is often caused by the eyeball being too short or the cornea being too flat.
- Astigmatism: This condition causes blurred vision at all distances due to an irregular shape of the cornea or lens.
- Amblyopia (lazy eye): This condition occurs when one eye does not develop normal vision, often due to a misalignment of the eyes or a difference in the visual acuity between the two eyes.
- Strabismus (crossed eyes): This condition occurs when the eyes are not properly aligned and point in different directions.
Dealing With Vision Problems in Children
- Eyeglasses: Eyeglasses can correct many vision problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism by bending light to properly focus on the retina.
- Contact lenses: Contact lenses can also correct many vision problems and provide an alternative to eyeglasses. However, it is important to ensure that children are old enough and responsible enough to properly care for contact lenses.
- Refractive surgery: In some cases, refractive surgery can be used to correct vision problems such as nearsightedness and farsightedness. However, it is typically recommended for adults rather than children.
- Eye patches: For amblyopia (lazy eye), an eye patch is often used to cover the stronger eye and force the weaker eye to work harder. This can help the brain to develop the connections needed for clear vision.
- Vision therapy: Vision therapy is a type of rehabilitation that can help to improve visual skills such as focusing, tracking, and eye coordination. This can be especially helpful for children with amblyopia or strabismus.
Dealing With Vision Problems in Children
Vision therapy is a rehabilitation program that helps children improve their visual skills. It uses a mix of a combination of exercises and lenses to train the eyes and brain to work together more efficiently.
It can help children with amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (crossed eyes), and other conditions that affect visual development, such as convergence insufficiency (difficulty coordinating the eyes to focus on an object) and visual processing disorders (difficulty interpreting what the eyes see).
The therapy is typically done under the guidance of a developmental optometrist and it can be done in-office or at home. It may include activities such as eye-tracking, eye-hand coordination, and visual perceptual activities. The goal is to improve visual skills, increase visual efficiency and improve the child's ability to learn and succeed in school.
It's important to have regular eye exams for children to catch any vision problems early on. If a child is diagnosed with a vision problem, the sooner it is treated, the better the chances are for their vision to improve and for them to succeed in school.
Book A Vision Therapy Consultation in
Treatment options for vision problems in children include eyeglasses, contact lenses, and in some cases, surgery. Vision therapy is also an effective way to help a child overcome eye problems that make it difficult for them to learn at school.
Book an appointment with Family Eye Care in Old Bridge today!
Our practice serves patients from Old Bridge, East Brunswick, Woodbridge, and Edison, New Jersey and surrounding communities.
Appointment times may vary so call us for availability.