| The
Pediatric Eye Examination
This is what you can expect to have done during the course of
your child's eye exam:
Visual Acutiy
Your child's vision will be checked. This is possible even in
children who do not speak yet. For older children, picture charts,
letter games and letter recognition can be used.
Eye Alignment (Muscle Balance)
Various methods are used to test the alignment of the eyes and
make sure the muscles which move the eye are functioning normally.
This may be done using light reflexes or alternately covering each
eye to make sure that they do not move from the straight ahead
position.
Binocular Vision
These tests are used to make sure that the eyes are not only aligned
correctly, but that the brain is using them together as well. If
the eyes are properly aligned, it does not always follow that the
brain is using them together.
Refraction
A
refraction is used to measure the "power" of the eye.
It determines if your child is nearsighted, farsighted or has astigmatism.
This can be done in infants where they can not cooperate to tell
us how well they are seeing. A special light is placed into their
eyes and the light is moved back and forth. The light enters the
eye and "bounces" back to the examiner. The way the
light behaves as it comes back out through the child's eye can
be used
to determine the refractive power of the eye. In young children,
the focusing power of the eye must be eliminated to allow an
accurate measurement. Therefore, drops are placed into the eye
to dilate
the pupil and eliminate their focus mechanism. These drops often
take 30-60 minutes to work.
Fundus Examination
The examiner uses a special light, often worn on his/her head,
to look into the back of your child's eye. The retinal blood vessels
and the optic nerve, an extension of the brain, can be seen. Because
this is an area where blood vessels and portions of the brain can
be seen, it is very valuable in helping to diagnose many disorders
that can affect the entire body.
Once the examination is complete, your child may be prescribed
glasses. Treatment for other problems may also be addressed.
If your child received drops, he/she may experience blurry vision
until their effect has resolved. The duration of this effect
is dependent on the type of drop used, the color of his/her eyes
and the refractive power of the eyes.
Reading Disorders In Children
What are Reading Disorders?
Reading
Disorders In Children can be manifest by below expected reading
abilities in an otherwise normal child. "Dyslexia" is
a term used to denote a child who has a "primary" reading
disability..not one caused by problems such as mental retardation
or poor education.
What causes dyslexia?
All current research indicates that dyslexia is a disorder of
language. A defect in language processing causes the reading disability.
Vision problems DO NOT cause reading difficulties.
How are reading disorders treated?
Because reading disorders are due to a primary language dysfunction,
they should be treated as such. Treatment requires a multidisciplinary
approach involving educators, psychologists and physicians.
Why do some people advocate Vision Therapy in the treatment of
reading disorders?
The link between vision and reading is so logical that people
have thought a vision abnormality must cause the reading problem.
However, this has been research extensively and THERE IS NO PROOF
THAT ANY VISION DISORDER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR A READING PROBLEM.
Is Vision Therapy Harmful?
While vision therapy itself is not harmful, it may delay the proper
treatment that a child requires.
What is Vision Therapy?
Read a Chapter on this subject
Top of page
|
