Early signs of your child’s vision problems are crucial. With CarlinVision’s pediatric eye care you can have peace of mind that your child will be with patient and caring doctors who are mommies and daddies too. We have been in Snellville for over 40 years and are now seeing the grandchildren of our very first patients. Our doctors are qualified to diagnose problematic and non-verbal children.

We boast the latest technology with competent knowledgeable surgeons, an attentive child-friendly staff and their choice of a toy gift.

Routine Eye Exams
Our routine pediatric eye exam is age-specific. We recommend your child’s first comprehensive eye exam and testing begin at 3 to 5 years of age. Some of these tests may include:

  1. Eye alignment
  2. Color vision
  3. Refraction – computerized graphics to determine prescription
  4. Stereopsis – 3 dimensional vision test

Our office performs vision screenings for school so any undetected eye problems won’t interfere while learning. If left untreated, some of your child’s vision problems could cause permanent vision loss.

[More about eye exams]

What is amblyopia or “lazy eye”?
Babies are not born with perfect vision – it develops slowly over the first several years as the brain and eye learn to see together. If the brain does not receive a clear image through an eye, it won’t develop normally causing the condition known as amblyopia or “lazy eye”.

Common childhood eye conditions causing lazy eye:

  1. Extremely nearsighted or farsighted in one or both eyes
  2. Strabismus – ocular misalignment (two eyes looking in different directions)
  3. Ptosis – droopy eyelid

Lazy eye can be treated if diagnosed by 9 or 10 years of age, otherwise vision loss becomes permanent. Treatment depends partly on the cause. Eye glasses can correct nearsightedness or farsightedness and eye muscle surgery can correct misaligned eyes. Ptosis or eyelid surgery will lift the drooping eyelid. Patching the good eye may be used for brief periods forcing the lazy eye to work harder. [More about amblyopia]

Blocked tear ducts
A blocked tear duct happens when the normal drainage system for tears fails to open. Blocked tear ducts are very common in newborns and does not mean your baby will have other eye problems. By itself, it usually does not permanently affect vision. Symptoms are usually present the first few days to first few weeks after birth, affecting only one eye and may include:

  1. Excessive tearing – eye appears wet to tears running down cheeks
  2. A yellowish-white build-up of mucus at inner corner of eye
  3. Redness, swelling and irritation of eyelids and surrounding skin

Blocked tear ducts are usually not treated in a baby and clear up on their own by one year of age. If there are signs of infection, antibiotic eye drops may be needed. If by the age of 6-8 months old the tear duct remains blocked, a simple tear duct probe may be done to open the duct.

Strabismus
Strabismus is one of the most common pediatric eye conditions. With strabismus, the eyes are misaligned or turn in different directions. The eyes can turn inward (cross-eyed), outward (wall eyed) or up or down reducing depth perception and leading to double vision.

Strabismus is caused by an eye muscle imbalance and is often hereditary. The muscles attached to the outside of the eye must work together for normal vision to occur. A misplaced or weak muscle causes one eye to turn in, out, up or down. Early eye exams are extremely important in detecting strabismus.

Symptoms may include:

  1. Eyes appear misaligned and do not move together
  2. Moving closer to look at objects or people
  3. Head tilting or turning
  4. Frequent blinking or squinting in one eye or both
  5. Not seeing clearly

Prompt treatment is essential and if not corrected by the age of 6, a lifetime of poor vision can occur. Treatments may include:

  1. Corrective eye glasses to improve focusing in the weaker eye
  2. Covering good eye with eye patch to strengthen the weaker eye
  3. Drops to temporarily blur vision in stronger eye, forcing weaker eye to work
  4. Injection in the eye paralyzing overactive muscle so opposing muscle tightens
  5. Surgery to adjust muscle tension

Prevention is the best medicine. Early eye exams are especially important if there is a family history of strabismus or symptoms of the condition are experienced.

Learn about eye glass frames and lens materials especially for children.