Elisabeth S. Swan, O.D.

With the holidays coming up, you may be purchasing presents for children. We’d like to remind you of ways to spend your dollars both wisely and safely. You are welcome to share our suggestions with others who might also be purchasing presents for children.

First, make sure the item is age-appropriate. Good judgment and muscular control develop incrementally in young children and they can injure their eyes with toys that they don’t understand or cannot handle safely.

Avoid items with sharp edges, long poles or points on them when shopping for a very small child. Choose toys that have rounded edges such as balls, blocks, musical toys, stuffed animals – these are sure bets for this age group.

Second, if there are still young children in the home steer clear of toys for the older children that have a flying component such as darts and arrows. Such items are fascinating for children of all ages and might fall into the younger child’s hands.

Third, be proactive in thinking about toys that help children develop hand-eye coordination. Staff at a reputable store should be able to direct you to toys that will support this developmental skill. Here are a few suggestions for a range of ages: art and craft activities (e.g., beading and letter-tracing), doll houses and play kitchens, toy trucks, and table tennis sets.

And finally, for that “big kid” on your list, what about a nice pair of sunglasses? Sunglasses protect against damaging UV-A and UV-B radiation. The sun’s rays are present year-round and of special concern for snow sports enthusiasts.

Happy holidays from all of us!

Soul music legend Ray Charles was not born blind. He lost his sight to undiagnosed glaucoma at age seven.

Glaucoma can’t be prevented nor can vision lost to glaucoma ever be restored. But early diagnosis and treatment can help avoid permanent loss of vision. Although it is very rare in infants and toddlers, certain signs can be indicators. Regular eye exams are the best insurance against avoidable blindness.

Sometimes other people are the first to notice an unattractive spot on your eyelid. That bump, most likely a sty, is technically called a hordeolum, an infection of the sebaceous gland in the eyelid. It is often caused by a staphylococcus bacteria infecting an oil gland or eyelash follicle on the rim of the eyelid.

Oil glands contribute to the tears that wet the eye and stop surface drying. Dirt, fatigue, poor diet, conjunctivitis, blepharitis, or a blocked gland duct can all contribute to such an infection. Sometimes inflamed and painful for a few days, they usually come to a point and discharge by themselves. Soaking the eye with a hot compress for ten to fifteen minutes a few times a day
(two to four times) can help liquefy and drain the secretions.

Sometimes the sty points on the inside of the eyelid where the tears will wash away the exudations when it bursts. If it points on the outside it can, with care and proper sterilizing precautions, be lanced and drained.

In some cases, a persistent blockage becomes a hardened mass inside the rim of the eyelid. This is called a chalazion. Sometimes chalazia resolve themselves within a few weeks or months. Others must be treated by an appropriate eye health professional, either with antibiotics, steroid injections, or with minor surgery.

It is always prudent to consult with an eye health professional as early as possible to choose a proper course of action.

Guess how many years before law enforcement agents who found a missing child, a runaway teen or a lost Alzheimer’s patient could scan the person’s iris and, within seconds, determine his or her identity? Another century? Decades? No, just a few years, if The Child Project proves successful.

The Nation’s Missing Children Organization, National Center for Missing Adults and The Point Group Companies, Inc., teamed up to launch the project, which involves creating a nationwide computer database of iris scans. The intricacies of a person’s iris, which are as unique as fingerprints, can be captured in a high resolution digital photo and entered into the database. Using iris
recognition technology, the computer system will be able to retrieve a match in seconds.

When a child has an eye-muscle coordination problem, it can make it difficult to focus inward. This is known as convergence insufficiency. Children with the condition may resist reading or appear to read poorly.

A recent study indicates that one in twenty children may have convergence insufficiency and that it can have a direct effect on reading ability. Because general vision screening often tests distance rather than close-up acuity, convergence insufficiency can be missed. A thorough vision exam is far more likely to identify the condition and a combination of clinic-based vision therapy and at-home follow-up has proven beneficial.

Proper visual development has been linked to better balance, coordination, and learning. Pay attention to the these milestones to follow your child’s development.
Read the Full Article at eyeTopics.com

Remember, with most eye disorders, the earlier the problem is discovered (diagnosed), the more likely a good result from treatment (the prognosis or outcome of treatment).
Read the Full Article at eyeTopics.com

Being able to see the 20/20 line on a wall chart doesn’t guarantee your child has the visual skills required for learning.  Find out more about learning-related visual skills and how to make sure your child has the visual skills to reach their full potential – both in and out of the classroom.
Read the Full Article at eyeTopics.com

As a new parent, you want to know how your child’s eye sight will develop,so you can enjoy your baby’s progress. You also want to know what problems might occur, so you can get medical help promptly if needed. When it comes to vision, the sooner a problem is recognized and corrected, the better.

(more…)

To understand organized optometry’s position on the use of vision therapy for the treatment of reading problems, read this joint policy statement issued by the American Academy of Optometry and the American Optometric Association.

(more…)