What is vision loss?
Vision loss means that a person's eyesight cannot be
corrected to a "normal" level, making it hard or impossible
to do daily tasks without eyeglasses, contact lenses, or
other assistance. Vision loss can vary greatly among
children and can be caused by many things.
What causes loss of vision?
Vision loss can be caused by damage to the eye itself, by
the eye being shaped incorrectly, or even by a problem
in the brain. Babies can be born unable to see, and
vision loss can occur anytime during a person's life.
When should my child be checked?
Your child should be checked for vision problems by an
eye doctor (an ophthalmologist), pediatrician, or other
trained specialist at:
- newborn to 3 months
- 6 months to 1 year
- about 3 years
- about 5 years
Having your child's vision checked is especially important
if someone in your family has had vision problems.
What are some of the signs of vision loss?
A child with vision loss might:
- close or cover one eye
- squint the eyes or frown
- complain that things are blurry or hard to see
- have trouble reading or doing other close-up work, or hold objects close to eyes in order to see
- blink more than usual or seem cranky when doing close-up work (such as looking at books)
One eye of a child with vision loss could look out or
cross. One or both eyes could be watery, and one or
both of the child's eyelids could also look red-rimmed,
crusted, or swollen.
What can I do if I think my child may have vision loss?
If you or your doctor think there
could be a problem, you can take your child to see a
pediatric eye doctor (ophthalmologist) or other specialist,
and you can contact your local early intervention agency
(for children under 3) or public school (for children 3 and
older). To find out who to speak to in your area, you can
contact the National Dissemination Center for Children with
Disabilities by logging on to
http://www.nichcy.org/
or calling 1-800-695-0285. In addition, the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has information
about vision loss (www.cdc.gov/ncbddd).
Treating vision problems early may protect your child's
sight, and teaching children with severe vision loss how
to function as early as possible can help them reach their
full potential.
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