Common Eye Problems in Children

As your kids grow up, they are bound to face a number of changes. Their baby teeth may fall out, for instance, and perhaps they’ll also notice major growth spurts and other things. But one facet of their development you should not take for granted is their vision. Children can face many different eye problems as they grow up, and we’re not just talking about myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. The team at our Puerto Rico LASIK eye surgery center would like to take this brief moment to cover a few common eye problems that children face.

One of the issues that parents tend to notice in their children early on is lazy eye, or amblyopia, which occurs in roughly 2 percent or 3 percent of all children. In such cases, the vision in one eye is better than the other. Treatments generally involve using various methods to train and develop the vision of the weaker eye. Glasses and invasive treatments may also be used as needed.

Strabismus is another common eye problem among children. This means that the child’s eyes are not properly aligned. If the mislaingment causes the child to be cross eyed, this is referred to as esotropia. If the eyes point outward in opposite directions, this is known as exotropia. Prescription eyeglasses can be used to help correct this issue, though surgery may be on the table for more serious cases of strabismus.

Pink eye, or conjunctivitis, is a common occurrence among children, especially young children. This happens when there is a viral or bacterial infection of the eye, resulting in the white part of the eye becoming reddish or very pink. There are drops and ointments that can be used to deal with this. If someone in your child’s class or group of friends has conjunctivitis, it’s important that you tell your child to wash his or her hands with soap and warm water, and to avoid rubbing is or her eyes. This will help prevent potential infection.

There are plenty of other eye health issues that your child may face. If you would like to learn more about those as well as Puerto Rico PRK and refractive surgery options, be sure to contact our Virgin Islands LASIK and laser vision correction center for a consultation.