At East Coast Eye, we offer advanced medical treatments for various eye conditions. Trust our skilled ophthalmologists to provide the care you need to keep your eyes healthy and vibrant.
At East Coast Eye we’re family oriented. We love kids, and they love us. That’s because we take our time with each child, serve our care with kindness, answer questions patiently, and listen — even to our youngest clients. This process makes visiting the eye doctor less scary for little ones.
Our pediatric services are thorough. We treat myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism with corrective lenses. We also treat amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (crossed eyes), infections, and blocked tear ducts.
East Coast Eye will take special care to make your child comfortable as we ensure their visual development proceeds as normally as possible.
Yes, children can and should see an ophthalmologist, especially if they have vision problems or eye conditions. Pediatric ophthalmologists specialize in treating eye conditions in children.
The most common problems seen in the children’s eyes, other than nearsightedness, are those related to lazy eye difficulties, muscle weakness, and turns of the eye. Some of these are present at birth while others become evident only later on. Proper diagnosis and management are critical to developing clear vision and must be established during the first few years of life.
Crossing of the eyes is a very common problem in childhood. In many cases, this is an illusion caused by the wide and flat bridge of the nose which has not yet developed. True crossing, however, may be present at birth or develop during the first year or two of life. The illusionary “crossing” will always disappear as the child grows since it is not a real crossing in the first place. True crossing is not outgrown. If you think your child has crossed eyes, it is important to have your child examined promptly.
With an eye persistently crossing, the vision may decrease in that eye, a condition known as amblyopia or lazy eye. A child may also have a lazy eye without it being crossed. If one eye sees well and the other does not, and if there is no crossing of the eye, you may have no clue that there is even a problem in the first place. By the time it is discovered during the vision screening tests given when your child is 5 years old and in kindergarten, it becomes significantly more difficult to treat. For this reason, even if you have no suspicion of any problem, we suggest you have an initial comprehensive examination of your child’s eyes by the end of the first year of life. Early amblyopia (lazy eye) can be detected and treated. If you suspect that there might be some problem, let us examine your child at that time, no matter how young. We routinely examine even newborn infants where there may be a suspected problem. Being old enough to read an eye chart is not necessary.
In addition to the simple refractive errors noted above, there are many other possible problems. Pediatric ophthalmologists treat congenital eye disorders, such as cataracts, incomplete development, and anatomic irregularities. are problems seen by. Some of these conditions may be associated with other developmental disorders. It is not uncommon for the ophthalmologist (who is an M.D.) to be the one to diagnose certain systemic conditions.
Prematurity, with the need for supplemental oxygen, can be
associated with retinal problems. This is one reason why we examine the eyes of virtually all preemies. Although it is unusual, retinopathy of prematurity (often called ROP), can often be treated effectively.
Children certainly can have many of the same problems as adults, including simple “pink eye” (infectious conjunctivitis), allergies, cataracts, or glaucoma. The eyes may be involved in other systemic illnesses of children such as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis or childhood diabetes. Remember that ophthalmologists are physicians who have completed medical school and have training not only in eye problems but also in other bodily illnesses that may involve the eyes. Within our practice, Drs. Turtel and Pardon are fellowship-trained subspecialists in pediatric ophthalmology.
Myopia, commonly known as “nearsightedness”, is a condition where distant objects appear blurry, while close objects can be seen clearly. It often develops in childhood and can get worse into early adulthood, but there’s a treatment that can give your child clear vision today, and help protect it from getting worse as they grow!
Lazy eye, medically known as amblyopia, is a visual development disorder where one eye fails to achieve normal visual acuity, even with prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses. This condition usually develops in early childhood and can result from various factors that interfere with proper visual development.
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The American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus is an excellent source of information.
If you have any further questions about optical medical treatment you can simply call us and speak with with our friendly staff.
Myopia, or nearsightedness, occurs when light does not focus correctly onto the retina due to the eye’s length being longer than normal. This causes blurry...
