The Early Show

Checking The Eyes Of A Child

By Ellen Crean

March 7, 2002 / 4:50 PM EST / CBS

Many children have vision problems that need correcting. But detecting impairments can be difficult.

Dr. Pamela Gallin, a pediatric ophthalmologist at New York City's Columbia Prebyterian Medical Center, visits The Saturday Early Show with some advice.

Detecting seeing impairments in children can be very difficult. Children often don't know that they are not seeing well and have a hard time communicating their problems to their parents or doctors. This is why it is very important to get your child's eyes checked according to guidelines established by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Says Dr. Gallin, "We call it 'the silent disease,' because children don't know what they can't see, and parents don't know that their kids can't see. And often times, the problem is just in one eye, and the child will compensate with the other eye, so you won't be able to tell if they have a vision problem."

Here is the schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics:

NEWBORN: Before an infant leaves the hospital, the doctor should look for infections, structural defects and other problems. You'll want a preemie or a child who has a history of eye problems in the family to see an ophthalmologist.
6 MONTHS: At six months, the pediatrician will evaluate each eye. They will be looking for proper eye alignment and infections such as those in the tear duct. The doctor will also do an intra-ocular examination to look for cataracts and retinal disease. At this time, the doctor can also check for eye-muscle balance.
3 TO 4 YEARS: This is the same exam as six months. But during this visit, the doctor will also perform a formal vision screen. That is the test we have all taken as children where you stand back and are asked to read numbers, letters or images from a chart. After this, your child should have their eyes screened every year by their pediatrician or school nurse.

There are warning signs that might indicate that a child has developed an eye problem in between tests:

AFTER-SCHOOL IRRITABILITY: If your child hasn't been seeing well all day, then sometimes the sustained effort to try to see causes them to becomes angry.
FREQUENT HEADACHES: The headaches will come from straining to see and are often connected to the after-school irritability.
CROSSED EYES: If your child's eyes do not move in unison, this is a sign they have an eye problem.
RUBBING OR SQUINTING EYES: This is probably a sign of near-sightedness, or in babies, it could be glaucoma.
PROBLEMS WITH SUSTAINED READING: Kids in the older grades should be able to read for an hour at a time. If they're not seeing clearly, they can't do this.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology's guidelines for children's eyeglasses:

POLYCARBONATE LENSES: This is a lightweight material as well as shatter resistant. It does scratch easily, though, so you may want to consider buying scratch-resistant coating.
SILICONE NOSE PADS: These are standard on most kids' glasses, but if the pair you buy doesn't have them, then make sure to buy some. They prevent the frames from slipping.
FLEXIBLE HINGES: These are great because they won't bend or break when your child rips them off or sits on them. You do have the option of fully flexible frames, but these can be very expensive.

You also might consider wrap-around ear pieces so the glasses can't slip off.