How To Ensure Your Baby’s Healthy Eyes
Development starts at about the second week after conception and continues for up to two years after birth.
If the mother takes certain drugs, or gets rubella (German measles) while pregnant, this can affect the baby's eyes before it is born. Rubella can cause severe birth defects if the mother gets it early in the pregnancy, so women who plan to get pregnant should get vaccinated before they get pregnant if they have not been exposed before.
If the mother gets a disease called toxomoplasmosis while pregnant, this parasite can be transmitted to the baby and may cause an infection and scarring of the retina.
Proper maternal nutrition is key to healthy baby development, and this includes the eyes.
If you smoke, try to stop during pregnancy. Smoking is associated with low birth-weight babies and also premature births.
At birth, a baby's eye is not fully developed. The baby's eye is about ¾ the size of the adult eye. At birth, the baby's eyes have only about 20/400 vision (the big E on the eye chart) and it develops to 20/20 within the first two years of life, so don't be surprised if they don't seem to be focusing at the beginning. For the first six weeks, the baby sees things clearest within a two-foot radius, so he will not be able to see much past your face. It's also normal for your infant's eyes to be occasionally misaligned (crossed) in the early days, but if this persists past three months, you should get his eyes checked.
Sometimes the baby can pick up an eye infection in passing through the birth canal. This is called conjunctivitis and is treated with antibiotics.
Some babies are born with the tear ducts blocked, and the parents notice that the tears are constantly flowing down the cheeks. This may also lead to infections; however, most ducts will open by the time the baby is a year old. If a baby is premature, sometimes the blood vessels in the retina are not properly developed. This is called retinopathy of prematurity and all premature babies should have their retinas examined.
If your baby is older than three months and the eyes turn way in or out, and stay that way, the baby needs to see an eye specialist. Studies have found that babies with strabismus benefit from early surgery. In some cases, this surgery is done on babies as young as three months old.
Once your baby is older than three months, get their eyes checked by an eye specialist if they don't seem to be following or focusing on you or an object moved in front of them.
If you see a white spot in the centre of the eye, get them checked as this can indicate a congenital cataract or a more serious condition called retinoblastoma.
If they seem to tilt their head whenever they look at something, this may indicate either a muscular problem, or a visual one - for example, some babies are born with one eye very nearsighted.
If your baby's eyes are healthy, recommended eye examinations should begin at three years of age and every two years thereafter.
Source: Stabroek News
Filed under Eye Treatment
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