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by Dr. Catherine Chen

Following are common questions parents raise when visiting their pediatricians or family practice doctors.

How well does my newborn infant really see?

A newborn’s visual acuity improves rapidly during the first few months of life. The majority of normally developing infants will exhibit "central fixation" by 2 to 3 months of age. An infant with central fixation will look directly at a target and accurately follow the moving target with their eyes. Infants usually find human faces much more interest-ing than toys.

Why do my baby’s eyes tear constantly?

Another concern parents raise is constant tearing, even when the child is not crying. This is often accompanied by matting and sticky discharge on the eye lashes. A common cause of increased tearing in infants is blockage of the tear drainage duct, or nasolacrimal duct obstruction. This condition can be cured with a short procedure that opens the obstruction. Other causes of increased tearing include eye infections, corneal abrasions and foreign bodies in the eye. The appropriate treatment plan depends on the cause of tearing.

My school-age child has failed a school vision screening and may have a "wandering eye". What should I do now?

Clear vision plays a critical role in the physical, academic and social development of children. Two of the most common vision problems in children-—strabismus and amblyopia—are also among the most serious.

Strabismus is when one eye is not aligned (one eye wanders). The eye may wander in, out, up or down. In children, strabismus can prevent normal vision from ever developing. Normally, each eye sees objects from slightly different angles. The two slightly different pictures are sent to the brain. The brain then fuses, or merges, these two pictures into one 3-dimentional image.

When a child has strabismus, the two eyes are pointing in different directions and the brain receives two very different pictures it can not fuse together. The brain therefore suppresses (ignores) the visual input sent from the weaker eye. Over time, the brain becomes accustomed to working with only one eye and the ignored eye will not develop normal vision. This is called amblyopia. Amblyopia can also develop when an eye sends a blurry, unfocused image to the brain due to farsightedness, near-sightedness, or astigmatism.

Both strabismus and amblyopia are treatable if detected early. If left untreated, these conditions will result in permanent visual loss.

Ask your pediatrician or family practitioner if a referral to an eye care professional is appropriate. Early detection and treatment are the keys to ensuring that you child receives the gift of good sight.

Catherine M. Chen, M.D. is a pediatric ophthalmologist practicing in Allen.