Items Tagged With surgery
Written By: John Fuda
2005-11-10 07:07:43
By Glen Steele, 
optometrist, from: http://parentcenter.babycenter.com/expert/preschooler/phealth/pvision/70165.html
How can I tell whether my child needs glasses?
Answer: You can look for a couple of signs. Does your child move up close to see things? Does he have an eye that turns in toward his nose or out toward his ear? If so, he may need glasses. (Occasionally these are signs of a problem that requires Vision Therapy or corrective surgery.) Also, a child who needs glasses may not respond to visual stimuli in normal ways. For example, he may not look up when someone enters a room, or he may fail to focus on the pages of a book while you're reading to him. When children do need glasses, they're more likely to be farsighted than nearsighted, but vision problems are rare at this age. If your child rubs his eyes a lot, it's more likely to be because of allergies than a vision problem. If you're concerned about your child's vision, make an appointment with an optometrist. Some private practices are particularly geared to working with children. Also, optometry clinics at colleges of optometry have doctors who specialize in children's vision.
Glen Steele O.D., is a clinical professor and chief of the pediatric and vision therapy service at the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee. In his private practice he primarily treats infants and young children. He is a past president of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development and the current president of the Optometric Extension Program Foundation, as well as a member of the pediatric and binocular vision committee of the American Optometric Association. Dr. Steele was selected as Tennessee's Optometrist of the Year in 1999 and was selected one of Optometric Management's Top Ten Optometrists of the Decade in 1999. He is the chair of Operation Bright Start in Tennessee, a program to emphasize the need for eye and vision care in infants.
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Written By: John Fuda
2005-05-31 08:46:38
JC recovered well from two surgeries he had last Thursday. JC had an adenoidectomy and ear tubes inserted in his eardrums. He was a little groggy the day of the survery, but the next day he was his happy little self again!
Over the weekend he even got to splash around in his pool (with his ears protected of course). It's hard to beleive he'll be 9-mon
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Written By: John Fuda
2005-11-10 07:17:29
What is amblyopia?
By the BabyCenter editorial staff, from: http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/babyills/babyeyes/10890.html
Amblyopia (also called Lazy eye) develops when the brain shuts off or suppresses vision in one eye. This can happen if your baby's eyes are misaligned or if he can't see as well with one eye because of nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, or something that's blocking clear vision in that eye, like a cataract or a drooping eyelid. About 3 to 6 percent of children under the age of 6 develop amblyopia. Treatment is most successful before age 5 or 6, although recent research shows that even older children may recover their vision. If ignored, though, amblyopia can result in permanent vision loss.
How to recognize amblyopia
Identifying the problem isn't easy because children can get along fine using only one eye. The less-used eye may look perfectly normal, even though your baby isn't using it to see. Your child's doctor should routinely test for amblyopia (as well as strabismus) by checking the eyes independently and together. But pediatric ophthalmologist James Ruben, a member of the AAP section on ophthalmology, says it's also a good idea for you to occasionally test the vision in your child's eyes at home.
Testing for amblyopia at home.
Here's a simple way to get an idea of whether your baby's eyes are both pulling their weight:
While your baby is interested in an object ? a toy bear that you dance in front of him, for example ? cover one of his eyes (it helps to have a partner for this). See if he follows the object with his uncovered eye as you move it. Then cover the other eye and see if he follows the object just as well ? and as far.
It's a little tricky to test a baby, who may lose interest or become distracted before your informal test is over. But if one eye seems weaker, try testing it again another time ? maybe starting with the other eye first.
If your baby seems to be able to see better with one eye than the other, schedule an appointment with either your child's doctor for a vision screening test or an ophthalmologist, who can diagnose and treat the problem.
What can be done to treat amblyopia?
The first step is to address any underlying problem ? by correcting the astigmatism or nearsightedness with glasses or removing a cataract with surgery, for example. Once that's taken care of, the goal is to encourage your child's brain to connect with the weaker eye, eventually improving its ability to see.
Glasses don't help to improve this eye-brain connection. In fact, one sign of the condition is that your baby's vision is still worse in one eye when he's wearing the correct glasses. That's because glasses work to help the eye focus ? like a camera lens ? but if the brain isn't communicating well with that eye, there won't be a clear picture. Instead, your doctor will probably recommend covering your baby's stronger eye with a patch or using eyedrops once a day to blur the vision in that eye, either of which will force the brain to use the weaker eye. This process could take weeks, months, or even years.
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Written By: John Fuda
2005-11-10 07:13:53
What is strabismus?
By the BabyCenter editorial staff, from: http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/babyills/babyeyes/10890.html
If your baby's eyes seem to point in different directions or not focus on the same object, he may have strabismus ? a lack of coordination between the eyes. They may appear to be "crossed" or one may seem to drift inward, outward, or upward. Strabismus can be constant (meaning the eyes are always crossed or misaligned) or intermittent (meaning it happens now and then). If your baby has strabismus and it isn't treated, his brain could start ignoring the input from one of his eyes, eventually causing the vision in the ignored eye to deteriorate. This condition is known as Amblyopia or "Lazy eye" (see below). Depth perception could also be damaged.
What causes it?
Sometimes strabismus is present at birth. The condition seems to run in families, but can also show up in children with no family history ? and when that's the case, it sometimes indicates a more significant vision problem. Those who are farsighted also seem to be at higher risk.
What can be done to treat strabismus?
Strabismus that's a result of farsightedness can usually be corrected with glasses, especially if caught early. Strabismus that persists even when a child wears glasses may require surgical correction. While the lack of coordination between the eyes centers in the brain, it's not possible to operate on the brain to change the alignment of the eyes. Instead, doctors operate on the eye muscles, which are accessible. That's one reason that the surgery isn't 100 percent successful.
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Written By: John Fuda
2005-11-10 07:31:09
What's the difference between an ophthalmologist, an optometrist, and an optician?
By the BabyCenter editorial staff, from: http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/babydevelopment/1437477.html
Ophthalmologists and optometrists both do eye examinations, diagnose and treat vision problems and eye diseases, and prescribe eye glasses and contact lenses. The difference is in their training and the scope of their practice:
Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who specialize in eyes. They have a minimum of eight years of medical training, including three or more years in a hospital eye-residency program. Like any M.D., they can prescribe all types of medication. Ophthalmologists also perform eye surgery of all sorts, and deal with any and all issues involving the eyes, from nearsightedness to the most serious disease.
Optometrists have a minimum of four years of education and training at a school of optometry in eye and vision care, diseases of the eye, and larger health problems that affect the eyes, such as diabetes. The specifics vary by state, but in general optometrists can prescribe some medicines (such as for infections, allergies, or glaucoma) and perform some minor surgery (such as removing a foreign object from the eye).
As a parent, which eye specialist you take your child to might depend on a number of factors, including:
? Referrals by doctors and friends
? Your specific concern about your child's eyes
? Your insurance coverage
? Convenience (office location; how quickly you can get an appointment)
Pediatricians and other M.D.'s might refer you to either an ophthalmologist or an optometrist if your child needs glasses. But if they suspect a more serious disorder or disease, they'll likely refer you to an ophthalmologist. Optometrists also refer patients to ophthalmologists if they detect a serious condition that's beyond their scope (such as a need for cataract surgery).
Opticians make and dispense glasses and other optical items. They're trained to fill the lens prescription provided by the ophthalmologist or the optometrist, in much the same way that pharmacists fill doctors' prescriptions.
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