Like most adults, most children do not have bad eye problems. Some may just need glasses or contact lenses to make their vision clear. But when a child does have an eye problem (even just needing glasses), it can be more serious than for an adult because a child’s eyes are growing and changing. Children must have good vision when they are very young so they don’t develop permanent vision loss. A pediatric ophthalmologist trains for many years to be able to examine infants and young children and treat their eye problems. These eye problems can be very different in children than in adults.

An ophthalmologist (EyeMD) is different than an optometrist. Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who attend four years of medical school after finishing four years of college. Then they usually complete another year of general training in an internship. Completing medical school and an internship provides a broad education in general medicine. After a general internship, an ophthalmologist completes three years in an ophthalmology residency program. This program prepares the ophthalmologist to diagnose and treat all medical and surgical diseases of the eye. A general ophthalmologist must complete another year of special training in a pediatric fellowship program to become a pediatric ophthalmologist. Optometrists do not do surgery and may not treat all medical eye conditions, especially those in children.

For information about some of the most common eye problems in children, use the links below. If you have general questions about any pediatric eye condition, please feel free to call our office.

Amblyopia | Cataracts | Comprehensive Eye Exams | Congential Problems & Eye Disease | Clinical Studies | Cortical Vision Impairment | Glasses and Contact Lenses | Nasal Lacrimal Duct Obstruction | Ptosis | Reading Disorders | Retinoblastoma | Retinopathy of Prematurity | Strabismus | Systemic Problems & Eye Disease | Trauma | Vision Screening