People frequently ask, “what is pediatric ophthalmology?”. Pediatric ophthalmology is a subspecialty of ophthalmology where a medical or surgical doctor specializes in eye diseases, visual development, and vision care in children. There are many common eye problems in kids such as infection, injury, disorders such as amblyopia, or “lazy eye”, strabismus (eye misalignment), or vision problems like nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. No matter the eye problem that your child is facing, our pediatric eye specialists in Iowa are here to help, serving Ankeny and Des Moines areas.
Observing your child’s eyes and paying attention to how your child behaves is very important for early detection of a childhood eye problem. Unusual behavior can be a warning sign of eye problems in kids. These behaviors can be directly related to vision such as closing one eye, frequently rubbing their eyes, or tilting their head to see things. School-age children may complain of things looking blurry in the classroom, or not being able to see the chalkboard or whiteboard. Behaviors can also be seemingly unrelated to vision but actually be caused by childhood eye problems such as your child avoiding reading, falling behind in school or sitting too close to the television.
Parents frequently ask, “at what age is vision fully developed?”. Studies show the eye is formed and vision fully develops around the ages of 3-5 years old. However, throughout life changes in vision may occur, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism in the eye that affects vision or the need for glasses.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus both agree that children should have their eyes examined by a pediatric or family doctor at birth and at all regular check-ups before school. Watch for warning signs and take your child to a doctor at the first sign of a vision problem. Fortunately, most eye problems in kids can be corrected if detected early by a pediatric eye specialist or pediatric ophthalmologist near you. Wolfe Eye Clinic has tips on child eye safety as a good reminder, check them out here!
Wolfe Eye Clinic offers complete pediatric eye care appointments with pediatric ophthalmologists and eye surgeons in Iowa with locations in Ankeny and Des Moines. Pediatric eye specialists at Wolfe Eye Clinic care for patients with signs of eye problems in children, childhood eye disorders, and adult strabismus. Wolfe Eye Clinic prides itself on not only having some of the best pediatric ophthalmologists in Iowa on staff but helping to advance the field of pediatric ophthalmology by serving as active members of the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group (PEDIG), participating in clinical studies related to childhood eye disorders. In 2013, Wolfe Eye Clinic was honored to be declared the number one research site for PEDIG and for many years thereafter has been an award-winning site for PEDIG.
If you have any concerns with your child’s vision or eyes, it is important to reach out to your primary care physician or eye doctor to be seen. Your doctor may then recommend that you see a pediatric eye specialist at Wolfe Eye Clinic depending on the findings of their initial analysis. Keep in mind, Wolfe Eye Clinic is here for you as well providing care and second opinions as needed for pediatric eye patients in Iowa. A referral is not required to see our pediatric eye teams in Iowa.
Our pediatric eye surgeon performs surgery at our Wolfe Surgery Center in West Des Moines. When you meet with your pediatric surgeon, they will provide answers to your questions prior to surgery and find the best location to serve you and your child. You can find more information about Dr. Bitner on his biography page. Moreover, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at (833) 474-5850.
With more than 40 locations throughout Iowa, expert eye care is always close to home.
Whether you need a routine eye exam or advanced surgical care, our team is here to help you see your best.
