Common Eye Conditions
deficiency in the cone system resulting in decreased visual acuity and an inability to discriminate colors
near vision is less affected than distance vision
hereditary condition with severity of the problem reducing with age
light sensitive
nystagmus present
* function best in low lighting, sunglasses and side shield may be helpful, red filter lenses may also be helpful
lack of pigment in the skin and hair and lightly colored irises
usually photophobic (light sensitive) usually decreases with age
usually high astigmatic errors
nystagmus present, usually decreases with age
may lack bifoveal vision
problems with depth perception
decrease visual acuity
nonprogressive
* optical aids, sunglasses, visors and dim illumination may be beneficial
decreased visual acuity of one eye in the absence of organic eye disease
usually caused by strabismus or anisometropia (difference in the refractive power of both eyes)
image from the deviated eye is suppressed in order to prevent double vision (diplopia)
* early diagnosis and treatment are crucial 6-12 months of age.
one or both eyes are markedly smaller than normal
other ocular abnomralities may be present (cataract, glaucoma, aniridia, coloboma)
somatic abnormalities are often present (clubfoot, cleft palate, etc.)
nearly always genetically determined
may have some functional vision
rare condition in which one or both eyes are absent.
eyelids are usually present.
* may be fitted with prosthetic eyes for cosmetic reasons.
a variation in refractive power along different meridians of the eye.
the eye is out of focus for a vertical part of an object and more out of focus for the horizontal part of an object.
most cases occur from irregularities in the shape of the cornea.
may be simple or combined with near or far sightedness.
visual acuity is affected and usually improves with age (child may interpret the blurs better.)
may be associated with nystagmus and amblyopia.
* correction with a cylindrical lens.
an opacity (cloudiness) in the lens which interferes with light entering the eye.
usually bilateral.
nystagmus present in severe cases.
effect on vision depends on size, position, and density.
glasses and/or contact lenses.
sunglasses and visors to reduce glare
* removal of cataract.
* removal of lens (aphakia)
C Colobomas in the eye ranging from isolated iris coloboma without visual impairment to anophthalmia (Retinal Colobomas are most common).
H Heart defects
A Atresia choanae in the nasal structures
R retarded growth and mental development or CNS abnormalities.
G genital hypoplasia in males.
E ear anomalies and/or deafness
* wide range of functioning levels less common in blacks than whites.
usually seen as a notch or cleft on the pupil.
congenital.
location and extent depend on when during development it
occurred.
may extend from the back of the eye, where the optic nerve enters, to the iris.
usually bilateral.
may be associated with other conditions (microphthalmia, abnormalities of the head and face, multiple fingers and toes, M.R.).
if retina involved, there is an associated field loss affecting the lower portion of the eye.
may develop a strabismus or nystagmus.
amblyopia may result if there is a great difference in acuity between the two eyes.
may have problems with glare.
* contact lenses may be used to make the pupil appear more attractive.
eye, ear and heart defects, although other organs may be affected.
congenital glaucoma and cataracts are present and the eyes may be very small.
back of eye may look similar to Retinitis pigmentosa. Not progressive.
visual acuity is reduced because of cataract and opaque cornea.
glaucoma results in restricted visual fields.
nystagmus may be present.
has an abnormal response in the visual cortex of the brain.
eye and optic nerve appear to be healthy and there is a normal pupillary response and no nystagmus.
child's reactions indicate visual loss because of a damages or absent visual cortex.
visual response is a inconsistent and variable.
* good prognosis for visual recovery.
* it appears that providing stimulation to the child's visual system allows the process of visual recovery to take place. Vision may first appear in the periphery.
high risk for visual problems.
60% have a significant refractive error.
20% have strabismus. Many are highly myopic with a high incidence of retinal detachment.
a few have cataracts in the preschool years.
distance vision is usually reduced.
increased intraocular pressure damages the tissue in the eye and can result in a decrease of visual acuity, a loss in the visual field, or both.
detecting it early is crucial.
congenital glaucoma requires surgery as soon as possible.
may be primary.
secondary to some other condition (retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), aniridia, postcataract).
may have hazy, opaque corneas.
in severe cases, cornea is pushed forward in bubblelike effect and may reveal damage to optic nerve. Vision is usually poor and visual fields are restricted.
a refractive error.
eye is smaller than normal or its component refracting parts are weaker than normal.
rays of light fail to converge enough to focus on the macula or fovea.
far sightedness results.
* tend to avoid close work.
* a convex (+) lens
* glasses or contact lenses are used.
one or both eyes are markedly smaller than normal.
other ocular abnormalities may be present, (cataract, glaucoma, aniridia, coloboma).
somatic abnormalities are often present (clubfoot, cleft palate, etc.).
nearly always genetically determined.
may have some functional vision.
refractive error in which the eye is larger than normal or its component refracting parts are stronger than the normal eye.
rays of light tend to focus in front of the fovea.
things close up are clear.
degenerative myopia is extreme nearsightedness.
myopia from a very early age and gets worse through the years.
may not correct their sight to normal
at risk for retinal detachments.
refractive error corrected with a concave () lens.
rhythmical, jerky movement (usually horizontal but sometimes vertical, circular, rotary, oblique or a combination) of the eyes.
involuntary and does not cause the child's world to move on him.
more rapid in young children.
slows with age.
results in decreased acuity.
peripheral vision remains good.
various head and eye position can find the null point.
null point usually in periphery.
usually associated with some other disorder.
sign that visual system is not normal.
failure to grow or wasting away of the optic nerve fibers.
inherited or cause by many diseases.
can also be the result of a postnatal injury to the nerve.
optic nerve head )disc) is pale and child loses visual acuity and undergoes changes in the visual field.
rarely possible to treat
can create a variety of visual field and acuity losses ranging from barely discernible to total blindness.
optic nerve is underdeveloped and discs look smaller and appear than normal
bilateral or unilateral.
normal for some neural tissue to "die back".
normal neural tissue death can evolve into excessive death,
resulting in a underdeveloped optic nerve.
not much that can be done medically for this eye condition.
retina is separated from its supporting structure.
occurs in many forms and is associated with various causes (trauma, ocular disease, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) or a general condition.)
a normal eye is transparent; however, when detached it appears milky white.
* surgery is usually needed.
* photocoagulation (use of laser beam).
* cryosurgery (use of cold probe).
rare malignant tumor of childhood.
fatal if untreated.
2/3 of cases occur before end of third year.
30% of all cases are bilateral
symptoms of strabismus rule out retinoblastoma as a deviating eye may be first sign of tumor.
enucleation is treatment of choice in nearly all unilateral cases.
in bilateral cases, the more involved eye may be removed; radioactive cobalt and follow up treatment on better eye.
many of these children seem to be bright.
careful medical follow up.
commonly seen in premature infants who received oxygen therapy.
occasionally occurs in full term infants.
severity may range from minimal ocular damage to complete retinal detachment and scarring that causes total blindness.
high levels of oxygen in incubator, retinal vascular system fails to develop normally.
after removal from incubator, blood vessels of the retina cannot supply necessary levels of oxygen; vessels grow rapidly and develop fibrous tissue, stretch the retina and in a short time (or later) lead to retinal detachment.
complex grading system to describe severity of ROP (grade 1 being mild with a lot of vision , grade 5 being total detachment or blindness)
three primary means of treatment: vitamin E therapy, laser to destroy abnormal tissue and reattachment of retina.
eyes that are not "carried correctly", "turning in different directions".
tendency towards strabismus is called aphoria.
a marked deviancy, called atrophia.
one or both eyes may turn in (esophoria, esotropia)
turn out (exophoria, exotropia)
up (hyper)
down (hypo)
alternate in their turning patterns (alternating esotropia, alternating exotropia).
both turning in, giving double vision called diplopia.
favor one eye over the other. Brain will ignore image from more impaired eye.
referred to as "lazy eye" or "wandering eye".
eventually, it will become amblyopic.
muscle imbalances may be corrected with a variety of approaches such as patching, medication, and surgery, depending on type and cause of imbalance.
children with eye muscle imbalances may experience eyestrain, blurred vision, difficulty with following faster moving things, or depth perception problems.
may malposition their heads.
have trouble with figure ground discrimination.
will see an assortment of problems with oculomotor skills such as fixing, focusing, tracking, converging, scanning and localizing.
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