A Holistic Approach to Pediatric Eye Health

We provide comprehensive pediatric eye care for children above the age of four years. Our eye doctors in Manhattan & Brooklyn are fully trained and experienced to diagnose, treat and prevent the majority of pediatric eye conditions. We strive to provide a friendly and welcoming environment where your child can have their eyes examined in comfort. As part of comprehensive pediatric eye care, we manage and treat conditions such as myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), amblyopia (“lazy-eye”), conjunctivitis (pink eye), allergies, and more.

Complete eye exams

Complete eye exams are an important tool to monitor any existing or developing conditions in children. Many children may develop conditions without exhibiting immediate symptoms or without complaints. It is important for your child to be evaluated when they are nearing or entering the pre-school age. Many children struggle with vision changes during their time in school and these changes often reflect as poor concentration, disruptive behavior, or poor academic performance.

Why Annual Eye Exams Are Crucial for Children

Addressing potential vision problems early is an important way to safeguard your child’s educational career. Even if their eyes appear healthy, children should still have annual eye exams to detect any problems at the earliest stage possible and begin necessary treatment and management.

Part of an annual eye exam includes the evaluation of your child’s color vision and stereopsis testing, which evaluates whether your child’s eyes are working as a team for proper depth perception. Many pediatric conditions can be managed and treated when caught early, as your child’s eyes are still growing and stabilizing.

Common Pediatric Conditions

Myopia (Nearsightedness)

Myopia is one the most common vision problems faced by school-aged childen. Myopic children are nearsighted. This means they are able to clearly see objects up close, but have a lot of trouble seeing objects far away. The progression of myopia can be corrected with non-surgical vision correction methods like specialty atropine drops, contact lenses, or Orthokeratology treatments.

Hyperopia (Farsightedness)

Hyperopia is another common vision problem faced by school-aged children. This condition is the opposite of myopia (nearsightedness). Hyperopic children are farsighted. This means they are able to clearly see objects that are far away, but have a lot of trouble seeing objects up close.

Strabismus (“Crossed-Eye”)

Strabismus is a condition where the eyes are not aligned properly and point in two different directions, appearing “crossed”. One eye may be focused straight ahead while the other turns in, out, up, or down. The child’s brain will start to ignore the image from the misaligned eye in order to not see double which can lead to decreased vision in that eye from never fully developing. This condition can be treated with surgical and non-surgical methods.

Amblyopia (“Lazy-Eye”)

Amblyopia, also sometimes called “lazy eye”, occurs when vision in one or both eyes does not develop properly during childhood. When this happens, one eye cannot see as clearly and becomes the weaker, “lazy” eye because the brain begins to focus its ability on the healthy eye instead. Because this condition can be treated and even slowed and managed, it is important to diagnose and treat amblyopia in the first few years of life so that the child with amblyopia can develop normal and healthy vision.

The cause of amblyopia can range from anything that obscures vision at a young age including:

Refractive errors: a big difference in refractive error (nearsightedness, farsightedness or having astigmatism) between the two eyes, the child’s brain may start ignoring the worse eye which can lead to decreased vision. This may also happen in both eyes if both refractive errors exceed the normal range leading to bilateral amblyopia.
Congenital cataracts: cataracts usually develop over time with aging in which the eye’s normally clear lens becomes cloudy. However, some children are born with a cataract which can prevent proper development of vision leading to amblyopia.
Strabismus (“crossed-eye”) may also lead to ablyopia.

We truly value importance of the health of your child’s eyes. Do not hesitate to book your child’s eye exam today!

Pediatric Eye Care