1. Myopia

Myopia is an eye condition when a person is nearsighted, meaning that they cannot see far distances. Without early diagnosis, myopia can make school more difficult for children, especially if they are sitting far away from the teacher’s board. Additionally, observation by parents or guardians are crucial to diagnosing myopia in young children. To find out more about the signs and symptoms of myopia in children, click here.

2. Amblyopia

Amblyopia is more commonly known as lazy eye. If a child doesn’t use their eye adequately during childhood, they might develop a lazy eye. Amblyopia is formed when the brain doesn’t fully process input from one eye, so, instead, it overcompensates with the other eye. Amblyopia is the most common cause of vision loss in children, so early diagnosis and treatment are important to prevent this. Some examples of treatment include wearing an eye patch or eyeglasses, using therapeutic eye drops, and in some cases, even surgery.

3. Strabismus

Strabismus is an eye condition that refers to the misalignment of one’s eyes. Usually, the eye will be turned inwards towards the nose, or outwards towards the ear. If a child has strabismus, it is highly likely that they will develop amblyopia. Sometimes children with strabismus will tilt their head, so their eyes can align, or they might squint excessively in bright lights. To improve strabismus coordination, the eye must be stimulated by using eyeglasses, eye drops, or an eye patch.

4. Pediatric Cataracts

Pediatric cataracts refers to cataracts in young children. Although most individuals associate cataracts with elderly people, cataracts can also be found in young children. Children who have cataracts might have developed them genetically, or through infection or trauma while in the womb. In pediatric cataracts, the lens of the eye appears cloudy, therefore, impairing the child’s vision. Based on the severity of the cataract, the child might need special treatment, including surgery to remove the cataract.

5. Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis, or pink eye, is a swelling of the conjunctiva or eyelids. It is accompanied by pinkness, discharge, and an itching or burning sensation. Conjunctivitis is quite common in children, especially when it’s related to bacteria, viruses, and allergies. At such a young age, children’s immune systems are still quite weak. When it comes to conjunctivitis, it’s commonly contracted through daycares or elementary schools, as these places are often covered with germs. Teaching your children to wash their hands before touching their eyes is an important method to avoid getting conjunctivitis.

If you believe there has been a change in your child’s vision, Dr D’Orio Eyecare will find the most appropriate treatment for them, so they can go back to exploring the world with healthy childlike eyes. To book an appointment today, visit https://drdorioeyecare.com/book-appointment/ or call us at 416 656 2020 for our Toronto location, or 416 661 5555 for our North York location.

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Lazy eye (otherwise known as amblyopia) can be treated in a variety of ways depending on the type, severity of the case, and the age of the patient. In the past, treatment for lazy eye would begin before a person turns 8 years old, however, recent studies show that lazy eye can be treated in everyone, regardless of their age. Though, early diagnosis can lead to a better outcome.

Here’s how optometrists treat lazy eye:

Corrective Eyewear

The first and most effective way to treat lazy eye is to simply correct the vision using corrective eyewear. By ensuring that each eye reaches the highest visual acuity possible, the lazy eye will begin to gain better vision and essentially “get used” to seeing the world clearly.

Vision Therapy

Vision therapy is one of the most highly successful ways of improving visual acuity, binocular vision, reading fluency and depth perception. There are many different types of vision therapy programs that can help lazy eyes with:

• Accommodation (focusing)
• Fixation (visual gaze)
• Saccades (eye jumps)
• Pursuits (eye tracking)
• Spatial skills (eye-hand coordination)
• Binocular vision (the eyes working together)
• Stereopsis (3-D vision)

These vision therapy programs will help the two eyes (the one that is lazy and the one that is functioning properly) work together by creating a deep neurological connection between the two eyes and the brain.

Eye Patching

It involves placing an eye patch over the stronger eye, therefore forcing the lazy eye to work and develop a better connection to the brain. This accommodating work that the lazy eye does will strengthen and recover its vision. Length of treatment is dependent on the age of the person and on how long the lazy eye has been present for.

Although these are the most popular forms of treatment for lazy eye, other treatments include:

• Atropine eye drops (drops put into the strong eye that makes vision blurry, forcing the lazy eye to do extra work. Similar to eye patching method)
• Surgery (the most invasive method and is not always recommended if the eyes are aligned)

If you or your child suffers from lazy eye but don’t know what treatment to go about, call the professionals at Dr. D’Orio Eyecare. As expert optometrists, we can help you achieve comfortable and clear vision. Contact us today at either of our locations to book an appointment.

The post How is Lazy Eye (Amblyopia) Treated? appeared first on Best Optometrist in Toronto.

A child with Amblyopia or Lazy Eye develops what appears to be a slow-reactive eye because the nerve pathways from the eye to the brain are underdeveloped. This underdevelopment means that the affected eye will send fewer neuro-electrical signals to the brain than the unaffected eye, making it appear “lazy”. If left untreated, the pathways through which these signals travel may weaken and not develop properly, damaging the child’s vision.

Amblyopia causes loss of vision in one or both eyes before the age of 6. It is caused by either an eye turn, a deprivation or from refractive error. This vision damage and/ or loss of vision caused by Amblyopia affects the efficiency of the visual system as the patient looses their binocularity. Amblyopia can also negatively effect:

• Depth perception
• Reading and learning abilities
• Sports abilities
• Navigation
• And more

Treatment options include a combination of eyeglasses, drops, vision therapy, and/ or eye patching. Vision therapy will teach patients how to use their two eyes as a team. This type of treatment should be done at an early age, upon diagnosis, as the prognosis will be better due to the child’s brain being highly plastic.

If your child has been diagnosed with Amblyopia, treatment is available to prevent further vision loss. Visit Dr. D’Orio Eye Care Optometrists in North York to have your child examined and/or treated for Amblyopia. Call us now at: 416.661.5555 (North York location) or 416.656.2020 (Toronto location) and Dr. D’Orio Eye Care Associates will be happy to assist you.

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