Services Offered: Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus

pediatric Boston University Eye Associates provides comprehensive pediatric eye care.  Our highly experienced team is available to treat a number of pediatric eye conditions. 

 

Lazy eye – Most commonly ‘lazy eye’ refers to an eye that doesn’t see well but is structurally healthy. Often this is due to an eye problem in children called amblyopia. Amblyopia is a preventable and treatable form of vision loss.  Fortunately, if it is treated early enough in childhood, vision can often be restored. Treatment consists of eye glasses and possibly patching of the eye.

Droopy Eyelids – The medical term for a ‘droopy eyelids’ is ptosis. It is a common congenital condition and can require surgery to correct it and / or patching to preserve vision.

Tearing – Tearing in babies can be caused by a closed duct that ‘drains’ the tears normally. This is called nasolacrimal duct obstruction. This closed duct can lead to infections requiring antibiotics. Fortunately the majority of these closed ducts open on their own during the child’s first year. If it remains closed after the child is one year old surgery may be needed to open the closed duct.

Eyelid Lumps – Children frequently get red hard lumps in their eyelids. These are called chalazia. They can be successfully treated with warm compresses, but sometimes require surgery to remove.

Cataracts – On occasion children develop or are born with clouding of the one or both lenses in their eyes, called cataracts. This can severely impact vision and requires surgery to fix. A child with a ‘white pupil’ needs an examination from a qualified ophthalmologist as soon as this problem is noticed.

Learning disabilities, Dyslexia related to vision – Reading difficulties and learning disabilities are complex problems that have no simple solution. There is no know eye or visual cause for these learning disabilities and no know effective visual treatment. Children with educational problems and normal vision screening should be referred for an educational diagnostic evaluation.

More Information:

American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus

American Academy of Ophthalmology