- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- preschoolers today articles
- preschoolers today q&a
- children today articles
- children today q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
I've Got an Eye on You
Keeping Check on Your Preschooler's Peepers
By Jenn Director Knudsen
Three percent of people in the United States have amblyopia. More commonly known as lazy eye, the condition is almost 100 percent detectable and treatable in up to 90 percent of patients, especially if caught early.
Yet lazy eye – poor vision in an otherwise healthy eye that's not correctible by glasses or contact lenses – is the cause of more serious vision loss in people 45 years of age and under in this country than all other vision problems combined, according to Bruce Moore, a pediatric optometrist and professor of pediatric studies at the New England College of Optometry in Boston, Mass.
Moore believes had this group been screened as young kids, their vision problems today would be largely treated and cause no significant visual disability. "So there's no question in the mind of pediatric eye-care providers" that preschool-age children [should] undergo vision screening or a comprehensive eye exam," Moore says.
Yet the vast majority of kids – 85 percent – have normal eye health, says David Wheeler, a pediatric ophthalmologist for 12 years and associate professor of ophthalmology and pediatrics at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, Ore.
And Moore acknowledges the question of whether to take in a preschooler to have her eyes dilated, or wait and rely on potentially deficient public school vision screening, remains unanswered. "It's the single most controversial question that exists in pediatric eye care," says Moore, who's been working with kids for 30 years.