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Children's Vision: What Parents
Need to Know

Children's vision care is essential to every child's development. Experts say that over 80 percent of what a child learns in school is presented visually, so making sure your son or daughter has good vision can make a big difference in their academic performance.

Routine eye exams for children can detect any nearsightedness, farsightedness and/or astigmatism your child has so it can be promptly treated with eyeglasses or contact lenses. Routine exams are also needed to make sure your child's eyes are healthy and to rule out amblyopia, strabismus and other binocular vision problems that may interfere with your child's vision development, academic performance and sports vision.

Learn more about children's vision by reading these articles:

SPONSORED SECTION: Teens & Contacts: What Parents Need To Know
Your teen wants contacts. Should you say yes? This helpful guide will answer all your questions about safety, types of lenses and cost.

Overview and Children's Visual Development

A Guide to Children's Vision Problems
An overview of children's vision and eye health topics that every parent should know about. Also read our Eye Doctor Q&A on children's vision problems.

Eye Exams for Children
Find out when to have your child's eyes examined to ensure they have the vision skills they need for school, sports and play.

Your Infant's Vision Development
How your baby's vision develops in the first year of life and what you can do to help.

Does Your Baby Have Congenital Cataracts?
Not all congenital cataracts require surgery, but some do. Learn what you can do if your child was born with cataracts.

Children's Vision Problems

Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)
Amblyopia (or "lazy eye") is a vision development problem in infants and young children that can lead to permanent vision loss. Learn the symptoms, causes and treatments.

Children's Vision Problems — Eye Doctor Q&A
Questions about children's vision problems are answered by eye doctors on AllAboutVision.com's Editorial Advisory Board.

Vision Problems of Preschool Children
Learn the warning signs of a preschool vision problem. Also, when to schedule your child's first eye exam.

Vision Problems of Schoolchildren
Up to 25 percent of schoolchildren may have vision problems that can affect their ability to learn. Read how to keep your child from being in this group.

Teen Vision: Time for Contacts?
A brief primer on what you should know when your teen wants to start wearing contact lenses.

Can Anything Stop or Slow the Progression of Myopia in Kids?
Studies have tested rigid contact lenses, soft contact lenses, drugs and eyeglass lenses for their ability to keep myopia from developing in children. Here's a summary of the findings.

Kids and Computers
How to help your child avoid eye strain and other problems when using computers.

Learning-Related Vision Problems
Does your child avoid reading? Is he struggling in school? Find out if an undetected learning-related vision problem is to blame.

Stargardt's Disease and Children
This inherited form of macular degeneration can cause central vision loss in children, who may need special instruction in how to use low vision aids.

Toys and Eye Safety
Which toys are eye-safe and which are better to avoid.

Eyewear for Children

Contact Lenses for Children
Are contact lenses safe for children? Read about the advantages, age considerations and more when considering contacts for your kids.

Eyeglasses for Kids
Here's an article on choosing a child's eyeglass frame. Also read 10 Tips for Buying Kids' Eyewear. For new products, see What's New in Eyeglasses for Kids and Teens.

Polycarbonate Glasses
Glasses with polycarbonate lenses are the best choice for children. Read why.

Children's Sunglasses
Sunglasses that block 100 percent of the sun's harmful UV rays are essential for children. Read tips for buying good sunglasses for your kids.

Protective Eyewear
Are your children wearing protective eyewear for sports and other activities? Read why they should.

News About Children's Vision

iPad Apps Help Children With Cortical Visual Impairment

October 2011 — Cortical visual impairment (CVI) is a neurological disorder that prevents people from interpreting visual input. Resulting from brain damage, CVI can cause many inefficient vision behaviors, such as attention to near objects only, preference for viewing familiar objects instead of new ones, confusion when viewing a cluttered scene and delayed response to new visual input.

Children with CVI have a lot of problems understanding their environment and interacting with it, and they often seem to ignore people or objects. So researchers at the University of Kansas were surprised when they tested 15 children and found the kids were highly interested in the iPad's colorful display, sound and interactivity.

Since children with CVI find it easier to look at lights and objects in high contrast, therapists often use light boxes during learning sessions. The iPad is similar to a light box in that it has a bright screen, but the device is much more interesting, especially with the interactive apps used in this study.

"We were using some very simple infant applications," said Muriel Saunders, assistant research professor at the Life Span Institute at the University of Kansas, in a press release. "One was called 'Baby Finger' [see photo at right], where you just touch the screen, and sounds and images and colored shapes appear on the white background. So, in many ways, it was similar to a light box except, instead of black and white, there were bright colors. We also looked at a Dr. Seuss book."

"Parents of children with CVI are already learning that the iPad works well," she added. "There are blogs that say, 'Look at this one' or 'Look at that one! My child is responding to this app.'"

Experts say that early intervention is crucial to helping children with CVI develop better vision. Saunders said the iPad could play a significant role; she is writing a grant proposal to the National Institutes of Health in order to thoroughly test the iPad's potential for CVI.

Please click here for information on the Baby Finger app for the iPad.

Vision Therapy for Children

What is Vision Therapy?
Some children have undetected vision problems that can interfere with their performance in school or sports. Read about vision therapy and how it can help.

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[Page updated October 2011]