Eye diseases common in children

There are many eye conditions and diseases that can affect a child’s vision and influence every aspect of his or her life. Two of the most common eye problems in children are amblyopia and strabismus. Amblyopia is a vision development disorder caused by one eye not being able to see as well as the other. The brain sees two different pictures that it can't combine in a meaningful way, so it ignores the image from the weaker eye and chooses to interpret only the image sent by the stronger eye. The result is that the eye that isn't seeing well will not develop properly. More common in preschoolers is a problem with eye muscles called strabismus. In this condition eyes are unable to focus both eyes in the same direction accurately, which makes the eye appear lazy. If it is not treated, strabismus can also cause amblyopia.