Pediatric ophthalmology is a sub-speciality of ophthalmology concerned with eye diseases and vision care in children. This article is about the branch of medicine. ... This is a partial list of human eye diseases and disorders. ...

Training

Pediatric ophthalmologists are physicians who have completed medical school, a 1-year internship, 3-year residency in ophthalmology, and a 1-2 year fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus. Pediatric ophthalmology fellowships in the United States are accredited by the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. The word physician should not be confused with physicist, which means a scientist in the area of physics. ... Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, Texas, USA. A medical school or faculty of medicine is a tertiary educational institution or part of such an institution that teaches medicine. ... For information about a medical intern, see the article on Medical residency. ... Residency is a stage of postgraduate medical training in North America which leads to eligibility for board certification in a primary care or referral specialty. ... A fellow in its broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. ... Strabismus (from Greek: στραβισμός strabismos, from στραβίζειν strabizein to squint, from στραβός strabos squinting, squint-eyed[1]) is a condition in which the eyes are not properly aligned with each other. ... American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) is a academic association of pediatric ophthalmologists & strabismus surgeons. ...

Clinical expertise

Pediatric ophthalmologists are qualified to perform complex eye surgery as well as to manage children's eye problems using glasses and medications. Many ophthalmologists and other physicians refer pediatric patients to a pediatric ophthalmologist for examination and management of ocular problems due to children's unique needs. In addition to children with obvious vision problems, children with head turns, head tilts, squinting of the eyes, or preferred head postures are typically referred to a pediatric ophthalmologist for evaluation. Eye surgery in the middle ages. ... A pair of modern glasses Glasses, also called eyeglasses or spectacles are frames, bearing lenses worn in front of the eyes normally for vision correction, eye protection, or for protection from UV rays. ...

Eye problems in children

Children experience a variety of eye problems, many quite distinct from adult eye diseases. Pediatric ophthalmologists are specially trained to manage the following disorders:

• Infections (conjunctivitis).
• Strabismus is a misalignment of the eyes that affects 2-4% of the population; it is often associated with amblyopia. The inward turning gaze commonly referred to as "crossed-eyes" is an example of strabismus. The term strabismus applies to other types of misalignments, including an upward, downward, or outward turning eye.
• Amblyopia (aka lazy eye) occurs when the vision of one eye is significantly better than the other eye, and the brain begins to rely on the better eye and ignore the weaker one. Amblyopia affects 4% of the population and is clinically diagnosed when the refractive error of one eye is more than 1.5 diopters different than the other eye. The management of amblyopia involves correcting of significant refractive errors and using techniques that encourage the brain to pay attention to the weaker eye such as patching the stronger eye.
• Blocked tear ducts.
• Ptosis
• Retinopathy of prematurity
• Visual inattention ^[1]
• Pediatric cataracts
• Pediatric glaucoma
• Abnormal vision development
• Genetic disorders often cause eye problems for affected children. Since approximately 30% of genetic syndromes affect the eyes, examination by a pediatric ophthalmologist can help with the diagnosis of genetic conditions. Many pediatric ophthalmologists participate with multi-disciplinary medical teams that treat children with genetic syndromes.
• Congenital malformations affecting vision or the tear drainage duct system can be evaluated and possibly surgically corrected by a pediatric ophthalmologist.
• Orbital tumors
• Refractive errors such as myopia (near-sightedness) and astigmatism can often be corrected with prescriptions for glasses or contacts.
• Accommodative insufficiency
• Convergence insufficiency and asthenopia
• Evaluation of visual issues in education

Pediatric ophthalmologists often work in conjunction with orthoptists in the treatment of strabismus. Strabismus (from Greek: στραβισμός strabismos, from στραβίζειν strabizein to squint, from στραβός strabos squinting, squint-eyed[1]) is a condition in which the eyes are not properly aligned with each other. ... Amblyopia, or lazy eye, is a disorder of the eye. ... Refraction error, also known as refractive error, is an error in the focusing of light by the eye and a frequent reason for reduced visual acuity. ... Tears trickling down the cheeks Lacrimation is the bodys process of producing tears, which are a liquid to clean and lubricate the eyes. ... In ophthalmology, ptosis is an abnormally low position (drooping) of the upper eyelid which may grow more or less severe during the day. ... Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), previously known as retrolental fibroplasia (RLF), is a disease of the eye that affects prematurely born babies. ... Cataract is also used to mean a waterfall or where the flow of a river changes dramatically. ... A genetic disorder, or genetic disease is a disease caused, at least in part, by the genes of the person with the disease. ... A congenital disorder is a medical condition that is present at birth. ... Tumor (American English) or tumour (British English) originally means swelling, and is sometimes still used with that meaning. ... Normal vision. ... Astigmatism is an affliction of the eye, where vision is blurred by an irregularly shaped cornea. ... Accommodative insufficiency (AI) involves the inability of the eye to focus properly on an object. ... Convergence insufficiency is a sensory and neuromuscular anomaly of the binocular vision system, characterized by an inability to converge the eyes or sustain convergence. ... ...

History

Frank D. Costenbader was an American physician frequently credited as the world's first pediatric ophthalmologist.^[2] Costenbader and Marshall M. Parks (his mentee who would later be known to many as "the father of pediatric ophthalmology") began the first ophthalmology fellowship trained program of any subspecialty at the Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C., now known as the Children's National Medical Center.^[3][4] Parks trained many pediatric ophthalmologists during his career and was instrumental in the establishment of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, a national organization dedicated to improving the quality and management of pediatric ocular disease. Over time, over 30 programs were developed for the training of pediatric ophthalmologists throughout the United States. The American Academy of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus works with the American Academy of Pediatrics on issues related to pediatric eye disease and vision screening guidelines. Frank D. Costenbader (1905 - 1978) was an American physician frequently credited as the worlds first pediatric ophthalmologist. ... The Doctor by Luke Fildes This article is about the term physician, one type of doctor; for other uses of the word doctor see Doctor. ... Marshall Miller Parks (1918 - July 25, 2005) was an American ophthalmologist known to many as the father of pediatric ophthalmology.[1] // Parks was born in Old Mission, Michigan to Ruth and Reuben Parks. ... The Childrens National Medical Center is Washington, DCs childrens hospital, and is the de facto of sorts when it comes to the care of children, espically babies. ... American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) is a academic association of pediatric ophthalmologists & strabismus surgeons. ... The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is an organization of pediatricians, physicians trained to deal with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. ...

Other notable pediatric ophthalmologists have included: Arthur Jampolsky, Martin Urist, Jack Crawford, Phillip Knapp, Gunter K. von Noorden, David S. Friendly, Eugene Helveston, William E. Scott, Eugene R. Folk, John Pratt-Johnson, Mette Warburg, Barrie Jay, Henry Metz, Arthur Rosenbaum, John T. Flynn, David Guyton, Burton J. Kushner and Joseph Calhoun. Jack Crawford (22 March 1775 in the East End of the Sunderland, England - 10 November 1831) was a sailor of the Royal Navy known as the Hero of Camperdown. ... For other possible meanings see Eugene Folk (disambiguation) Gene Folk (died February 28, 2003) was an American ophthalmologist who specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of strabismus. ... John A. Pratt-Johnson, MB, FRCS(C.), FRCS(Edin. ... Henry S. Metz, MD, MBA, is an American pediatric ophthalmologist who is the current CEO of the Smith-Kettlewell Institute in San Francisco. ... John T. Flynn John Thomas Flynn (October 25, 1882-1964) was a U.S. journalist. ... Burt Kushner is an American pediatric ophthalmologist specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of strabismus. ... Joseph Calhoun (1750—1817) a Representative from South Carolina; born in Staunton, Augusta County, Virginia, October 22, 1750; moved with his father to South Carolina in 1756 and settled in Granville District, on Little River, near the present town of Abbeville. ...

References

See also

• Eye exam
• Infant vision
• Ophthalmoscope
• Orthoptics
• School vision screening
• Strabismus surgery
• Visual acuity

Traditional Snellen chart used for visual acuity testing. ... The science of infant vision gives a verifiable basis for some practices of pediatric ophthalmology and gathers measurements intended to describe, monitor and predict: development of retinal photoreceptor cells infant sensitivity to detail, color, contrast, and movement binocularity eye movements refraction cognitive processing By establishing a timeline of visual perception... The ophthalmoscope, invented by Hermann von Helmholtz, is an instrument used to examine the eye. ... Orthoptics (from the Greek words ortho meaning straight, and optikas meaning vision [1]) is the discipline dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of defective eye coordination, binocular vision, and functional amblyopia by non-pharmaceutical and non-surgical methods, e. ... Traditional Snellen chart used for visual acuity testing. ... Isolating the inferior rectus muscle Disinserting the medial rectus muscle Strabismus surgery is surgery on the extraocular muscles to correct the misalignment of the eyes. ... Traditional Snellen chart used for visual acuity testing. ...

External links

• American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus