At 37 I was diagnosed with a "lazy eye", or Amblyopia. What exactly is Amblyopia? It is a condition in which one or sometimes both eyes have reduced vision and the brain "shuts off" images received from the affected eye. Basically decreased eyesight due to abnormal visual development. There are more than 200,000 cases diagnosed every year so it fairly common.
Parents can miss the symptoms as mine did. Of course I had problems seeing the chalk board from a distance and often got moved often to the front of the class. Yes before we go any further I did say chalk board I realize that shows my age but I tell you I prefer the old fashion method of pen and paper, chalk board and dry erase board over computer any day. My eyes often burned and after a long session of taking notes off the dry erase board because it was so blinding white.
A study found that kids ages 3 to 7 responded to lazy eye treatment so have your child's vision tested either by school or doctor. If your child fails they will be sent to a ophthalmologist for a more thorough exam. In my case the school nurse did test me. This was 30 something years ago so chances are they didn't know what they do now and probably innocently either misdiagnosed me or truly didn't know what all they needed to look for.
So what are the symptoms that you need to look for?
- An eye that wanders inward or outward
- Eyes that appear to not work together
- Poor depth perception
- Squinting of shutting an eye
- Head tilting
- Abnormal results of vision screening tests
I talked to my family doctor and was sent to the eye doctor where I was sent to a retinal specialist. My vision was 40/100. My right eye is horrible, I can't make out details. I also have issues with my peripheral vision, with not seeing certain spots.
I hope this blog helps you spot issues with your child's vision before It gets too late.
Parents April 2012
thetoddleryears@blogspot.com
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