According to a 1991-1994 CDC study of metropolitan Atlanta area children, approximately 9 in every 10,000 children ages 3 to 10 have low vision or blindness. Two thirds of the children had other disabilities besides having vision impairment. The World Health Organization defines low vision as a visual acuity of 20/70 to 20/400 with the best possible correction
Signs and symptoms of low vision or blindness
Appearance of eyes or eye movements Crossed or turned eye Pupils that are excessively large or small Nystagmus (eyes that bounce around, dancing eyes, or strange eye movements) Developmental delays and other symptoms Delays in reaching developmental milestones Not tracking objects by three or four months Doesn't blink at sudden bright lights Not interested in books or brightly colored toys Doesn't reach for things placed in front of him or her Turning or tilting head to look at an object Squinting Eye pressing (rubbing or poking eyes) Not making eye contact Self-stimulating activities such as rocking, bouncing, and head nodding
Common causes of low vision in children Optic Nerve Atrophy - Optic Nerve Atrophy is caused when some or all of the optic nerve fibers are damaged. Optic Nerve Hypoplasia ' Optic Nerve Hypoplasia occurs when the optic nerve/s fail to fully develop. Amblyopia ' Also known as lazy eye, occurs when the vision in one eye is reduced. The brain favors the stronger eye and uses it to process visual information Retinopathy of Prematurity ' Retinopathy of prematurity is caused from exposure of premature infants to excessive oxygen. The excessive oxygen can cause abnormal blood vessels grow and spread throughout the retina in a premature infant. These blood vessels can leak and cause damage to the retina. Albinism ' Albinism involves a lack of pigment in the hair, skin and eyes. The lack of pigment affects the functioning of the retina and causes the vision to be impaired. Cataracts ' A cataract is an opacity or cloudiness of the lens. If the lens is cloudy it will obstruct the passage of light to the back of the eye causing vision to be impaired. Cortical Visual Impairment ' Cortical vision impairment is caused when the portion of the brain that processes visual information is missing or damaged. Strabismus ' Strabismus, also known as crossed eyes or wandering eyes, occurs when the eyes do not work together properly and appear misaligned. Microphthalmia, Anophthalmia, and Coloboma - Micropthalmia occurs when the eyes are abnormally small, anopthalmia is when the eyes are missing and coloboma means that there is a gap in one of the structures of the eye.
About the author: Patty Hone is the mom of a visually impaired child. She is also the co-owner of Justmommies.com - pregnancy and parenting message boards for moms. Please visit Justmommies message board for Visually Impaired Children for more support for parenting a visually impaired child. http://www.justmommies.com/boards/index.php?showforum=90