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What is a Pediatric Ophthalmologist?

Pediatric ophthalmologists have the greatest expertise in dealing with children and in treating children's eye disorders. If your child has an eye problem, is having difficulty reading or learning, or needs surgery or medical treatment for an illness affecting the eyes, Dr. Rovit has the experience and qualifications to care for your child. 
 
What kind of training do pediatric ophthalmologists have?

• Medical school
• Medical/surgical internship
• Residency training in ophthalmology
• Fellowship training in pediatric ophthalmology

What types of treatments does Dr. Rovit provide?

• Comprehensive eye exams
• Surgery for weak eye muscles, crossed eyes, wandering eyes, cataracts, and blocked tear ducts
• Diagnose problems of the eye caused by diseases of the body such as diabetes or juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), and other medical and neurological diseases
• Diagnose visual processing disorders
• Care for eye injuries
• Prescribe and dispense eyeglasses

Children are not just small adults. They cannot always say what is bothering them. They cannot always answer medical questions, and are not always able to be patient and cooperative during a medical examination. Dr. Rovit and our caring staff know how to examine and treat children in a way that makes them relaxed and cooperative. In addition, we use equipment specially designed for children. Our offices are arranged and decorated with you and your child in mind. Our examination rooms and waiting room have toys, videos and reading materials for children. This helps to create a comfortable environment for your child, and provides the best care for your child.

What is a "lazy eye"?

Amblyopia, the medical term for "lazy eye" is reduced vision in an eye that can not be corrected by glasses and which has no other organic cause (for example a scar in the eye). Many people will call an eye lazy because the lid droops or the eye wanders but these are actually distinct conditions. An amblyopic eye often appears perfectly normal, so it is often detected only through vision screening. In childhood, the connections between the eyes and the brain are just developing. The brain must learn how to put together information from the two eyes to make one picture. If the image from one eye is clear and the other blurry, or if the eyes are crossed and send two different pictures, the brain will choose to ignore the pictures being sent by one eye. When the brain consistently ignores information being sent by an eye, that eye will become weak, just as an arm, which has been in a cast, will not have equal strength to the fellow arm. Amblyopia is treatable until the age of 7 or 8 years--the age at which visual maturation is thought to be developmentally complete. Amblyopia is treated by forcing the child's brain to use the weaker eye--this can be achieved by wearing a patch over the stronger eye, or blurring the vision in the stronger eye with glasses or eye drops. The predisposing conditions also require correction such as glasses or surgery.

What causes strabismus (crossed eyes or wandering eyes)?

The answer is not really known. Probably it is a combination of genetic and environmental influences. Misalignment of the eyes may present as one eye appearing to look straight ahead and the other eye pointing inward, outward, upward, or downward. When a child's eyes cross or one eye wanders, there often is loss of depth perception because the eyes are not working together. The sooner these conditions are treated, the more likely that this depth perception can be regained. The most common age for strabismus to be present is between age 2 and 4 years, although some children are born with strabismus and in others it may not be apparent until the child is slightly older. Treatment of strabismus often requires the use of glasses, sometimes surgery, and rarely exercises. Often, amblyopia is also present which must be treated as well. Strabismus rarely corrects itself, so it is not something a child will simply outgrow.

When should my child have a complete eye examination?

Ideally, all children should have a complete, dilated, ocular examination between the ages of 2 and 3. Unfortunately, many insurance companies will not pay for a routine examination if there is no problem found. So many parents and pediatricians rely on the vision screenings provided by local organizations. A vision screening is not a substitute for a complete examination and certainly, if there is any suspicion that the child is having difficulty seeing or has strabismus or amblyopia. In these cases, the child should be examined as soon as possible. Even infants can have a complete examination so no child is too young to be examined.

Amblyopia (lazy eye) affects 1 out of 20 children. It is the most common cause of visual loss in young people (more than eye disease and trauma combined!).

Strabismus (crossed eye) affects 1 out of 20 children. It occurs equally in boys and girls. Adults who develop strabismus usually will see double.

Glasses are prescribed for children to treat amblyopia and strabismus, and also to correct blurred vision. Glasses prescribed for blurred vision alone are simply aids to improve vision and the eyes will not be damaged if the glasses are not worn.

Learning disabilities are not caused by vision problems but are malfunctions in the area of language processing in the brain. Because amblyopia and strabismus are fairly common, some children with learning disabilities may have them and vice versa. Special glasses and vision therapy rarely will help a child with a learning disability and the best treatment is personal tutoring.