At birth or in early childhood, a doctor may determine that a child has an eye condition. Early detection of eye disease will often help prevent permanent damage to the eyes or to the child's vision. Usually a parent will notice something about a child's eyes, and the parent will contact an eye doctor. Since a mother or father often identifies changes first, parents should know about common juvenile eye diseases and the symptoms.
Childhood Glaucoma
Some children do not have properly formed drainage channels inside the eye, and this can result in high pressure in the eye, explains the Glaucoma Research Foundation. Over time, the high pressure will damage the optic nerve, which plays an important role in good vision. Symptoms of glaucoma in children include large eyes, light sensitivity and fogginess to the front of the eye. Eye drops and oral medications may help lower the eye pressure, but many children require surgery to open the drainage channels. A child may require daily use of eye drops, even after surgery, but this will keep the eye pressure from damaging vision. If a child does lose vision to glaucoma, the vision will not return.
Congenital Cataracts
Cataracts result from a clouding of the natural lens inside the eye. Older adults usually have some amount of cataracts in their eyes that come on gradually with age. However, in some cases, a child will have cataracts at birth, a condition called congenital cataracts, says MedlinePlus. A parent may not detect mild cataracts, but if a child has significant cataracts, the eye may have a cloudy or white appearance. As well, a parent may notice that the child does not respond visually in, and the child may have abnormal or rapid eye movements. If cataracts interfere with vision, an eye surgeon may need to remove the cloudy lens. Mild cataracts will not usually require treatment unless they progress rapidly or until they reach a point of disrupting vision.
Strabismus
Some children have a "lazy eye" or "crossed eyes" at birth or that appear in early childhood. This condition, called strabismus, affects the muscles of the eye and requires treatment in order to prevent decreased vision in one or both eyes. Without treatment, the vision may worsen and the child may see double, have difficulty reading or have poor depth perception. An eye doctor may treat strabismus with an eye glass prescription or eye exercises, says the American Optometric Association. If these treatments fail to improve the condition, an eye doctor will likely recommend surgery on the muscles to realign the eyes.
