Signs of Vision Problems in Young Kids

            Everyone has a vision of what children's eye problems look like: Squinting, sitting too close to the television, rubbing their eyes. In the first few months of life, infants can only see clearly objects that are 8 to 10 inches from their face. It isn't until 12 to 16 weeks that their eyesight begins improving and they start seeing things more clearly and further away. Over the next year, kids then develop depth perception, eye-body coordination, eye-hand coordination, and the ability to judge distances. It's rare for children to have vision problems at this age. A crossed or wandering eye, which troubles 3% to 5% of children. Symptoms include an eye that drifts or appears crossed in respect to the other eye, though "it isn't really that eye that's the problem," says David Epley, MD a pediatric ophthalmologist in Washington. "It's the brain's wiring that's at fault."  There are two types of pediatric glaucoma -

• Infantile
• Juvenile

         Infantile glaucoma, which becomes evident within months of birth, is associated with several visible symptoms that parents may be able to spot, according to Prabhu. Some infants with glaucoma will also have enlarged corneas-or unusually large eyes, a trait that can be difficult for parents to spot, but can sometimes be recognized by a pediatrician.

           However, Juvenile glaucoma, which develops during adolescence, is often asymptomatic. Juvenile glaucoma can typically be treated with eye drops, pills or surgery, while for infants, the best treatment option is usually surgical. Additionally, being vigilant about a child's eye health can completely resolve some cases of crossed eyes or poor vision. Crossed eyes can be treated with a combination of glasses or surgical interventions, depending on the origin of the problem. Furthermore, poor vision can also be treated with glasses, or occasionally with eye patches to strengthen the weaker eye.