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WHAT IS A PEDIATRIC OPHTHALMOLOGIST?
A pediatric ophthalmologist is a special doctor for kids eyes. They go to school for a long time to learn about eye problems in kids. They know how to treat these problems with medicine and surgery.
Kids’ eyes keep growing until about age 12 years. Some eye problems can make it hard for kids to see well. These include:
If these issues are found and treated early, children can have good vision. Some other health problems, like diabetes, can also hurt the eyes. A pediatric ophthalmologist can help with these too. Some pediatric ophthalmologists also take care of adults with crossed or drifting eyes.
WHAT IS AAPOS AND WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME A MEMBER OF AAPOS?
AAPOS is the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. It is a group of kids’ eye doctors. To become a pediatric ophthalmologist, they all completed medical school, ophthalmology residency, and a fellowship specializing in pediatric ophthalmology. They all know how to help kids with eye problems and adults with eye crossing or drifting.
WHAT TESTS DO PEDIATRIC OPHTHALMOLOGISTS DO?
- Vision tests: they check how well a child can see.
- Tests for glasses: they check to see if a child needs glasses.
- Eye movement tests: They check how well the eyes move.
- Eye health tests: They use special tools to look inside the eye for any problems.
Sometimes, if a child won’t do tests in the office, the doctor may need to do the tests while the child is asleep with anesthesia (like sedation for surgery).
Please see this helpful video on: “What to expect at the Pediatric Ophthalmologist”
WHAT KINDS OF TREATMENTS DO PEDIATRIC OPHTHALMOLOGISTS GIVE?
- Glasses, contact lenses, and prisms.
- Patches, eye drops and video/virtual treatments
- Medicines for different eye problems
- Surgery and laser for different eye problems
HOW CAN I FIND A PEDIATRIC OPHTHALMOLOGIST?
You can look on the AAPOS website for a pediatric ophthalmologists near you: Find a Doctor »
Updated 06/2024
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