Pediatric ophthalmologists are concerned with the growth and development of the eye and vision. The developing visual system of children's eyes is susceptible to problems not found in the eyes of adults. Approximately four decades ago, the development of pediatric ophthalmology as a medical specialty began with the awareness that the unique conditions seen in children demanded specific areas of knowledge and expertise.

Misalignment of the eyes is referred to as strabismus. Strabismus is common in children and consists of the eyes turning inward or outward or even being vertically misaligned. A number of factors may cause or lead to a development in strabismus including high refractive error (the need for glasses), poor vision in one or both eyes, or trauma. In many cases of childhood strabismus, no clear cause is evident. Rarely, life-threatening conditions such as brain tumors may manifest as strabismus. The examination of a child with strabismus focuses on determining the visual function in each eye and the nature of the specific kind of ocular misalignment. Glasses or other treatments may be prescribed as a first step. Surgical treatments to align the eyes are sometimes required for strabismus. This involves surgery on the extraocular muscles to strengthen or weaken their actions on the eye's rotation.

Pediatric ophthalmologists are also very concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of amblyopia. Normal visual development requires proper visual stimulation and experience in infancy and childhood. When this does not occur, and the visual function in one or both eyes is impaired, then amblyopia is said to be present. The three main causes of amblyopia are occlusion (caused by drooping eyelids or congenital cataract), high refractive error (a child with a high degree of unrecognized farsightedness), and strabismus (in which one eye is chosen by the child as a dominant eye and the other eye lags behind because of decreased stimulation).

The pediatric ophthalmologist also cares for a variety of ocular conditions including tear duct obstructions, congenital cataracts, congenital and juvenile glaucoma, eyelid problems, and many others. Pediatric ophthalmologists have particular skills and equipment that allow them to best determine the nature of the child's problem and are accustomed to examining pre-verbal and uncooperative patients. Most pediatric ophthalmologists in the U.S. are members of The American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. The organization's website contains a great deal of useful information for patients and their families.

The website address is: www.aapos.org