Pediatric ophthalmologists provide medical and surgical eye care for children under the age of 18 for a variety of conditions including amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (misaligned eyes), tear duct obstruction, refractive errors, cataracts, glaucoma and prematurity. Pediatric ophthalmologists also treat adults with strabismus. Specialized training in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus is required after general ophthalmology residency training.

Childhood Eye Examinations

Your pediatrician or general doctor should do regular eye screenings of your child, including checking red reflexes, as an infant and toddler. As part of a regular physical examination, your child should have testing of visual acuity or an age-appropriate vision screening at age three and at yearly physical examinations after that.

If there is a family history of amblyopia (lazy eye) or eye muscle problems, your child should see a pediatric ophthalmologist between the ages of 8–12 months. If there is a family history of childhood cataracts, childhood glaucoma or other eye diseases, an examination in the first few months of life may be indicated. If there is no family history of childhood eye diseases, and your pediatrician sees no problems, the best time to have a complete eye examination is between 3½ and 4½ years of age.

A professional eye examination is required within 12 months of a child starting kindergarten. If this examination is normal, yearly examinations by an eye professional are not needed for most children. Children should see an eye doctor if they fail a school screening examination, if an eye examination is recommended by a physician, or if they develop vision related complaints.

Common Conditions

Pediatric ophthalmology at Centre for Sight Africa (CSA) includes treatment of the following conditions:

– Amblyopia
– Astigmatism
– Myopia (Nearsightedness)
– Orthoptic Therapy
– Pediatric Cataracts
– Pediatric Glaucoma
– Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)
– Strabismus
– Tear (Nasolacrimal) Duct Obstruction

Additional Information

For more information about these, and many other pediatric eye care topics, visit:

VIDEO: What to expect at the Pediatric Ophthalmologist