Children’s Eyes and Vision [Name of Presenter] Doctor of Optometry

The Amazing Eye

The process of vision  An object in the world is seen by the eye upside down  The brain processes the eye’s image to create the picture of the object

When vision is bad...  The cornea and lens need to focus light onto the retina for clear vision  Often, the focus is not sharp...

Hyperopia (farsightedness)

 Too little focusing power causes light to be focused “behind” the retina  Convex lenses focus light onto the retina  A significant cause of learning problems, as it often goes undetected by school or pediatrician screenings  Common cause of reading glasses

Myopia (nearsightedness)

 Light is focused “in front of” the retina  Distant objects look blurred  Very common vision condition affecting nearly 30 percent of the U.S. population  Concave lenses focus light onto the retina

Astigmatism

 Causes blurred vision due either to the irregular shape of the cornea or sometimes the curvature of the lens inside the eye  Found in combination with farsightedness and nearsightedness  Results in blur at distance and near  Compound-grind lenses focus light onto the retina

Strabismus  “Eye turn”  Crossed eye, esotropia  Wandering eye, exotropia  Double vision is uncommon because of brain adaptation called suppression  Treatments include: proper prescription, patch to equalize the individual eyes’ abilities, and surgery by age 2 for greatest chance at a functional cure

Amblyopia  Phrase “lazy eye” is often used to describe amblyopia  Permanent reduction of an eye’s best sharpness, even with glasses, that results from the brain constantly ignoring the image of an eye that is crossed or from an eye that is significantly different in prescription than the other eye

Accommodative disorders  Accommodation = ability to “zoom” focus on near objects  Problems can include insufficient amount of focus, overly active focus, lock of focus, and slowly shifting focus  The muscle that controls focus can be trained to work more efficiently  Bifocals can be used for children

Peripheral retinal abnormalities  Dilated eye examinations are periodically required to evaluate parts of the inner eye that can show abnormality  Examples include retinal degenerations, retinal detachments, and retinal tumors.

Inside the numbers...  26% of US population is less than 18 years of age  31% of those 6 to 16 years old had an eye and vision examination within the past year  14% of those less than 6 years old had an eye and vision examination within the past year

Vision checkups and screenings  Many people benefit from having their eyes tested with an eye chart to see if they see properly -- called a “screening”  Vision screening is never a replacement for a comprehensive eye examination  Screenings check for vision blurriness  Exams evaluate vision blurriness, PLUS eye muscle teaming, focus ability, and eye health

Why so few eye exams?  Parent reliance on vision screenings provided by pediatrician or school  Cost to uninsured families  Lack of good public information as to the importance of periodic eye care

The Role of Vision in Learning  The eyes must see clearly, without double vision, and with accurate depth of focus control  A child must have the visual ability to learn to read prior to reading to learn  When a child has difficulties learning, think first of his or her ability to see, then of his or her ability to learn

Comprehensive Eye Exams  Optometrists and ophthalmologists are eye doctors who provide eye examinations  Are easy and painless  Can find the problems that relate to poor learning  Here is a “peek”...

Color Vision

Depth Perception

Keratometry

Visual Acuity

Refraction

Eye Health Test

Eye Pressure

Eye Drops -- Dilating the Pupil

Eye Health Tests

The “Headlight” Health Exam

Questions??

Thank you!! Presentation courtesy of: Scott A. Jens, O.D. AOA Member Madison, WI