Although babies can see right after birth, they don't see as well as adults. Infant vision is around 20/1500, as compared to adult normal vision of 20/20, the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute states, and it develops and improves as the brain develops over the first 10 years. Infants can be born with or develop visual problems and eye conditions; many problems are treatable, especially if diagnosed early.
Amblyopia
Amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, occurs in one in 25 to 50 people and is often diagnosed in infancy. Amblyopia develops as a result of vision that's normal in one eye and decreased in the other; the brain stops using the eye with poor vision and sees only out of the good eye. Amblyopia can result in permanent vision loss in the eye with poorer vision; amblyopia can be irreversible if not treated by age nine. Patching the good eye forces the brain to use the eye with less vision to see, Bascom states. Treatment works best when started at a young age.
Strabismus
Strabismus means that the eyes don't work together; they may turn in two different directions or cross. Strabismus occurs in approximately 4 percent of infants. The misalignment of the eyes results in the brain receiving two different signals, which leads to a shutting off of the vision to one eye. The term for eyes that turn inward is esotropia; exotropia is the term for eyes that turn outward. Infant strabismus is usually caused by muscles that are too tight; surgery is done to align the eyes. Strabismus that's not treated can lead to amblyopia and vision loss.
Retinopathy of Prematurity
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) refers to a condition that occurs in premature infants, whose retinal development is interrupted when they're born early. Abnormal blood vessels grow from the retina; the vessels leak and grow into the jelly in the middle of the eye called the vitreous. Scarring of the retina and retinal detachment can result. ROP is graded from grades 1 to 4, with grade 4 being the most serious. According to Weill Medical College of Cornell University, 90 percent of babies with grades 1 and 2 ROP get better without treatment, while half of those with grade 3 disease and most of those with grade 4 ROP will have vision loss. Approximately 400 to 600 babies go blind each year from ROP, Weill Medical college states. Treatment for ROP is laser or pneumoplexy, a freezing technique, to seal abnormal leaking blood vessels.
Blocked Tear Ducts
Blocked tear ducts are common in infants; babies with blocked ducts have frequent tearing, with tears spilling down the cheeks when not crying, crusted eyes upon waking in the morning and rubbing of their eyes frequently. Sometimes massage will open the tear ducts, Eye Topics says; if this fails, surgery can be done to open the ducts.
