Condition
|
Description |
Treatment
|
Astigmatism
| An irregularly shaped cornea that can cause blurred vision. | Glasses if it causes blurred vision. |
Blocked Tear Duct | In babies with this condition, also called
nasolacrimal duct obstruction, the eyes overflow with tears and collect mucus. | Gentle massage of the tear duct can help relieve the blockage. If that doesn't work, a tear duct-probing procedure or surgery may be needed. |
Cataract
| A clouding of the lens of the eye. About
3 out of 10,000 children have a cataract. | Most cataracts must be surgically removed. Cataracts in babies and children are rare and usually not related to cataracts in adults. |
Chalazion
| A firm, painless bump on the
eyelid due to a blocked oil gland. | May resolve on its own or be treated with eye drops or warm compresses. In some cases, minor surgery may be needed. |
Droopy eyelids (ptosis) | When the eyelids are not as open as they should be. This is caused by weakness in the muscle that opens the eyelid. | If severe, it can cause poor vision development (amblyopia) and needed eyelid surgery. |
Falsely misaligned eyes (pseudostrabismus)
| Caused by a wide nasal bridge or extra folds of skin between the nose and eye. The eyes only appear
cross-eyed. | None. The eyes should be monitored to be sure they remain healthy. |
Farsightedness (hypertopia)
| Difficulty seeing close objects. A small degree of farsightedness is normal in babies and children. | If it becomes severe or causes the eyes to cross, glasses are needed. |
Glaucoma
| A condition in which the
pressure inside the eye is too high. Warning signs are extreme sensitivity to light, tearing, persistent pain, an enlarged eye, cloudy cornea and lid spasm. | Glaucoma in childhood usually needs surgery. If left untreated, glaucoma can cause blindness. |
Lazy eye (amblyopia)
| Reduced vision from lack of use in an otherwise normal eye. It's often caused by poor focusing or misaligned eyes. | Applying a patch or special eye drops to the "good" eye. Other treatments commonly include glasses or eye muscle surgery for misaligned eyes.
|
Misaligned eyes (strabismus) | When one eye turns inward, upward, downward or outward. This is caused by eye muscles that do not work well together.
| Glasses, patches or surgery, depending on the cause for the misalignment. |
Nearsightedness (myopia) | Difficulty seeing faraway objects. Nearsightedness is very rare in babies but becomes more common in school-aged children. | Glasses are used to correct blurred distance vision. Once nearsighted, children do not usually outgrow the condition.
Contacts may be worn when old enough. |
Pinkeye (conjunctivitis)
| A reddening of the white part of the eye, usually due to infections, allergies or irritation. Signs include tearing,
discharge and feeling that there's something in the eye. | Depending on its cause, pinkeye is often treated with eye drops or ointment. Frequent
hand washing can limit the spread of eye infections to other family members and classmates. |
Scratched cornea (corneal abrasion)
| A scratch on the front surface of the eye (the
cornea). It can be very painful. The eyes usually tear and are also sensitive to the light. | Antibiotic drops or ointment to promote healing and prevent infection. |
Sty (hordeolum)
| A painful red bump on the eyelid due to an infected oil or sweat gland. | Warm compresses and antibiotic drops or ointment. |
Swollen eyelids (blepharitis)
| An inflammation in the oily glands of the eyelid. This usually results in swollen eyelids and crusting of the eyelashes. | Warm compresses and washing the eyelids with baby shampoo. Antibiotics may be needed if there's an infection. |