Children's Eye Exams

A comprehensive eye examination is recommended if any visual problems are identified on vision screening tests, by the family, or by the child’s pediatrician or family doctor. Comprehensive eye examinations allow for the diagnosis and treatment of vision problems, injury and disease. Early detection allows for treatment to begin before the child experiences difficulty in school due to poor vision and before any permanent damage has been done to the eye(s). Children’s eye exams with Robert E. Wiggins, Jr., MD, Pediatric Ophthalmologist, test visual acuity, alignment and tracking of the eyes, and other focusing problems such as near-and-far sightedness and astigmatism.

Strabismus & Amblyopia (Crossed Eyes/ Lazy Eye)

Amblyopia can be caused by any condition that causes one eye to be favored and the other ignored by the brain. Strabismus (crossed eyes), different refractive errors (farsightedness, nearsightedness, astigmatism) in the two eyes, and childhood cataract are common causes of amblyopia. The preferred eye becomes dominant and has normal vision. The non-favored eye is ignored by the brain to avoid confusion between the two different images from the eyes. As a result, the visual system in the brain for the non-favored eye fails to develop properly. By the ages of 7 to 10 in most children, the visual system in the brain stops developing, and vision loss due to amblyopia is difficult to reverse. Strabismus and unequal refractive errors are the most common causes of amblyopia, and there is often a family history of this condition.