According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, eye care should start the day a child is born. Children are capable of getting complex eye diseases and ailments typically attributed to adults, such as glaucoma and cataracts. There are also more common eye problems your child might experience, like pink eye or allergy eye symptoms. In general, if your child has red, puffy, swollen watery eyes or experiences discharge, its important to see your doctor. Regular checkups will determine your child's visual and ocular health.
Conjunctivitis (Pinkeye)
The conjunctiva is the clear protective membrane that coats the whites of your eyes. Chemical exposure, allergens, bacteria and some viruses can irritate this membrane. If your child wakes up with red, watery eyes or eyes crusted shut, it could be pinkeye. In children, it's typically caused by bacteria that's introduced from rubbing the eyes. Once the doctor determines the cause of pinkeye, antibiotic or anti-inflammatory drops will be prescribed to clear it up. Bacterial and viral forms are highly contagious and can be prevented by washing your hands regularly and not touching you eyes. If untreated, it can cause permanent eye damage or blindness.
Eye Allergies
Eye allergies are common in children, especially at the change of the seasons. They're typically but not always accompanied by coughing, sneezing and itchy throats and ears. Eye allergies can cause severe eye itching, redness, watering and discharge. There's also a risk of conjunctivitis due to rubbing at the itchy eyes. Your doctor will do tests to determine if they're seasonal allergies, pet allergies or related to other diet or environmental factors. Treatment is usually allergy eye drops, antihistamines and environmental changes, like installing air filters and minimizing pet exposure.
Visual Impairments
There are several kinds of visual impairments that can cause your child to need glasses. Astigmatism is a change to the shape of the cornea. It can occur as a wavy shape, or it can indicate the eye is more football shaped than round. Because this causes blurry vision, it's treated with glasses. Myopia, or nearsightedness, also causes your child to need glasses. Children with myopia can see objects immediately in front of them, but not in the distance. The opposite condition is called hyperopia, or farsightedness. These children can see things farther away better than they can see them close up.
Blepharitis
Blepharitis is a condition where the eyelids swell, especially overnight. This swelling can be accompanied by discharge or crusting. It can occur for many reasons, from infection to irritation to allergies. It usually goes away on its own and can be treated with a warm compress. In some cases, antibiotics are needed to kill infection.
Amblyopia
Amblyopia is commonly called "lazy eye." Lazy eye occurs when one eye is weaker than the other, and the dominant eye overcompensates. It can be caused by eyes that have dissimilar visual acuity, cross eyes or eyes that aren't properly aligned. If untreated, the weaker eye can atrophy and not process images at all. Treatment usually includes patching off the good eye to increase the strength of the bad eye. Glasses are used to correct he bad eye's vision.
