Infant, Toddler & Preschool Eye Exams Frequently Asked Questions
Everyone knows that the earlier a problem can be handled the more successful will be the outcome. That is why dental and medical exams are required before going to school. Despite this understanding, the visual system is often forgotten. It is the most important system for learning (most researchers indicate that 75-80% of learning occurs via the visual system), yet most children do not have a formal visual examinations. Do to this lack of care, children often adapt to the level of vision they have. Parents often never suspect a problem, even a serious one.
Obvious
problems such as strabismus (crossed or wall eye) are usually caught by the
pediatrician. However there are too many cases of
amblyopia (lazy eye)
that are not detected by
pediatrician screenings. Many of these problems also
get past school screenings. The result is that parents feel
everything is normal from a visual perspective. The reality, however, is
not as rosy. For example,
lazy eye affects approximately 5% of the
population. This means that a classroom of 20 kids will have 1 with lazy
eye. This means that this child will probably have reduced reading
comprehension because of decreased depth perception. This child may also
not try various ball sports because there is an uncertainty of where the
ball is in space. Expected visual performance at the various age groups
can be found here.
Children typically do not receive this care. It is estimated
(Indiana University) that only fourteen percent of
children under 6 are likely to have ever had a vision examination and
only thirty-one percent of children aged 6 to 16 years
are likely to have had an exam. A recent
retrospective study of comprehensive pediatric eye
examinations reported the following as the most common
disorders in children 6 months to 18 years of age seen in an optometrist’s
office:
• Hyperopia (farsightedness): 24.8%
• Astigmatism: 22.5%
• Myopia (nearsightedness): 18.2%
• Nonstrabismic binocular disorders: 14.3%
• Strabismus (crossed or wall eye): 12.1%
• Amblyopia (lazy eye): 7.1%
Today's technology allows us many options in being sure that the infant, toddler or preschooler has normal vision. One of these options is the PhotoScreener™
The
PhotoScreener™ is a fully portable battery operated
camera especially designed for the detection of vision disorders in young and
even preverbal children. It can accurately screen for conditions that can lead
to amblyopia, including all refractive errors, strabismus, media opacities and
ptosis, all of which are treated more easily if detected early in life.
The FDA cleared PhotoScreener™ is a camera which takes instant pictures of a patient's eyes. The photographic process produces bright crescents on the film if a problem, such as a refractive error, is present.
The size of each crescent is proportional to the size of the refractive error, while its position indicates the type of vision problem present. Immediate on-site interpretation and comparisons of the photograph enables detection of problems including myopia (nearsightedness), astigmatism, hyperopia (farsightedness), and strabismus, as well as cataracts and other media opacities.
| These
photorefractive images, taken with the PhotoScreener™,
reveal how various eye disorders are easily identified.
Notice the half moon crescent in the left eye - this is not normal.
|
 |
ANISOMETROPIA (different prescriptions
between eyes)
|
 |
MEDIA OPACITY (possible
cataract)
|
 |
STRABISMUS (in this case,
wall eye)
|
 |
HYPEROPIA (farsightedness)
|
 |
MYOPIA (nearsightedness)
|
 |
ASTIGMATISM |
100 North Rancho Road, Suite #1
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
Phone (805)495-3937 Fax (805)373-9843
E-Mail