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Is Three-Month-Old Far-Sighted?

Posted on February 1, 2012, 11:42 am by Dr Carol Doman

Posted in Children’s Vision

Ali wrote:

I think my 3 month old baby may be farsighted, but I can't seem to find any information about signs and symptoms on the Internet. He is very engaged and makes a great deal of eye contact when he's in a bouncy chair or lying on a blanket on the floor (further away), but when he's in my arms, breastfeeding, or generally closer to me, he does not make any eye contact. In fact, he tends to avoid looking, and instead looks off into the distance. Additionally, he has a torticolis, or a head tilt, that is being treated with physio. I'm now wondering if this is actually a symptom of vision problems. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Dr Carol Doman's response:

Ali,
It sounds like your baby is reacting very normally visually. I have a nine month old myself and I noticed the same thing when he was younger. If you were holding him he didn’t want to look at you, but would look at someone standing right beside me. Part of it is that they are curious about the world around them. Almost all babies are far-sighted and this is normal. It sounds like his vision is developing perfectly normally. Optometrists do routinely examine babies as young as six months, so you could definitely take him to see your optometrist when he is six months old. It would be quite rare for a baby to need glasses at such a young age. Most babies will grow out of their far-sightedness as they get older and will not require glasses. However some young children will be significantly far-sighted or near-sighted and will require glasses. For more information on baby’s vision visit our website: opto.ca/openyoureyes/caring-for-your-family/babys-vision.
Dr. Doman

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Possible Lazy Eye

Posted on February 1, 2012, 11:34 am by Dr Carol Doman

Posted in Children’s Vision

Sean wrote:

Hi, my five year old turns his head to the right when he watches TV or looks at something from a distance so that he is only looking out his left eye. We have had him checked by his optometrist every year and his vision is fine. We thought he might have lazy eye, but that has not been the diagnosis. Are there any other eye conditions that may cause this?

Dr Carol Doman's response:

Hi Sean,
If your son has his eyes checked every year and everything is fine it is unlikely that he has a lazy eye. This is one of the main things that we look for when examining young children. It could be that it is a habit that he has developed or perhaps that’s his way of trying to really focus in on something. I assume that you have mentioned this problem to your optometrist? If he sees equally well with each eye and has good binocular vision there is no medical reason for this behaviour.

Dr. Doman

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Risks with Nintendo 3DS for Children Under 7

Posted on January 24, 2012, 1:26 pm by Dr. Sally Aldayeh

Posted in Children’s Vision

Lisa wrote:

I was thinking of buying my 5 1/2 year old a Nintendo 3DS. He has normal vision, but I discovered there is a warning that it is not recommended for children under 7. I've researched on the internet and seen contradictory information. The American Optometrist Association seems to have told parents to relax and it is okay. Of course with any video game one must limit use. What do you feel are the risks to the eye using the Nintendo 3DS in 3D.

Dr. Sally Aldayeh's response:

Hi Lisa,
The risk of the Nintendo 3DS in children is a couple, can cause a little dry eye, as children focus hard and forget to blink specially towards end of day or when tired. Also near work has been associated with myopia progression (nearsightedness), but its similar to reading, writing or drawing. This becomes a very personal choice. I was ok to let my children play with their Nintendo but I did limit their play time. Thank you Lisa

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