Newborn babies arrive equipped with wonderful abilities to see and hear. Although their vision is not as sharp as that of an adult, newborn babies show responses to adult faces in the earliest days of life. Babies also have remarkable responses to sounds. They startle with loud noises and quiet with their mother's voice. Sometimes, babies have problems with vision. These problems may be due to a birth defect or may be caused by the effects of prematurity, neurological problems, genetic disorders or other diseases.
Since many eye problems occur at an early age, it is important that your child receives eye examinations and visual screening tests. Vision problems can lead to visual loss, developmental problems and learning disabilities. Monitoring your child's ability to see is an important factor in the health of your growing child.
Certain risk factors may increase your child's risk of having some problems with their vision:
A child's brain develops more rapidly than an adult’s brain. Any problems a child may experience with their vision may disrupt the development of visual pathways to the brain. A critical stage of visual development occurs between birth and 4 months old, when the brain must receive clear visual messages from both eyes. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have recommended the following screening stages:
Children often cannot tell you when they are having problems with their vision. Visual screening helps to identify children who may need further eye examinations and testing. Treatments are more successful when the vision problem has been detected at an earlier stage. Always discuss eye examinations and visual screening with your child's physician.
