A child's vision plays an important role in his development. If your child has an uncorrected vision problem, it may hinder his ability to reach his potential. Taking your child for routine eye checks is very important for all these factors. Eye health of a child is a very important part of child’s general health.

Your child's visual development will vary at every age. These developments may not be the same in every child. There are different ways to increase your child's eye health. Consulting an expert is always the best way to get detailed information and get started.

In this article we will mention the importance of eye health in children and causes of crossed-eye(Strabismus) in children. We will also talk about the symptoms of crossed-eye in children and crossed-eye treatment in children. You can read about pediatric eye exams in the final part of the article.

In babies, the ability to see starts in the 3rd and 4th months. Within a few years, the baby begins to see farther and perceive distances. This is followed by eye-body coordination.

Babies and children perceive the world largely through seeing. Therefore, a potential eye problem risks hindering the child's development.

Children rarely complain of vision problems because they do not have an adequate idea of the world. This is because everyone thinks they see the world as they do. As a result, vision problems in children often come on suddenly. In this regard, it is important for parents to be careful and watch their children.

Children with visual impairments may experience problems at school because they have difficulty reading. Vision scans and visual acuity take on a big mission at this stage. Eye scanning of children with potential eye problems and treatment of their problems are of critical importance for the future of children.

Strabismus (crossed-eye)  is the name given to turning one eye in a different direction from the other eye and one of the most seen eye conditions in children. Glasses, eye patches, eye exercises, medications and surgery are among the alternatives offered in the treatment of strabismus.

The six muscles that control eye movements work together and turn both eyes in the same direction. In the case of strabismus, problems arise in the control of eye movements. Patients with strabismus cannot maintain normal ocular alignment (eye position).

Strabismus is often inherited, and about 30 percent of children with strabismus have a family member with a similar problem.

Some factors that can cause strabismus include:

• Uncorrected refractive errors
• Poor vision in one eye
• Down syndrome
• Hydrocephalus (a congenital disease that causes fluid to accumulate in the brain)
• Glioma
• Stroke (leading cause of strabismus in adults)
• Head injuries
• Neurologicalproblems
• Cerebral palsy

A 6-month-old baby should be able to focus on objects near or far. Strabismus is commonly seen in infants and young children. Strabismus is diagnosed until the child reaches 3 years of age. However, it is normal to have strabismus after this age. Vision screening take a key role here. 

Symptoms of crossed-eye in chlidren can can and go. That’s whey parents should be follow their children continuously and consult an eye doctor in any doubt.

Some of the symptoms of crossed-eye in childen can be lined up as below:

• Eyes not looking in the same direction at the same time
• Squinting or closing one eye in bright sunlight.
• Blurred vision, tired eyes, sensitivity to light, double vision
• Tilting or turning the head to look at an object.

 If your child's eyes aren't always aligned after four months of age, visit an eye doctor for an eye doctor.

Vision therapy takes an important role in treatment in children. There are also different treatments such as:

• Glasses: Using eyeglasses for children is suitable for mild strabismus
• Eye patch: Patching therapy is another option. If your child has amblyopia, wearing a temporary eye patch over the stronger eye can offer support to align the eyes. Your child should wear the patch sometimes or all the time, depending on his or her condition.
• Surgery on the eye muscles: In some cases surgical correction might be needed. Surgery is the most effective way to improve vision and align the eyes better. The number of operations may be more than one. However, your child should continue to use glasses. Surgeries for eye muscles done under general anesthesia with dissolving stitches. Sometimes adults are offered adjustable strabismus surgery.
• Medicines: Diffirent medicines can be given by your child’s eye doctor as each cross eye  case is different.
• Eye exercises: Eye exercises might be helpful for cross eye in children as well as adults.

In addition to these, eye alignment and binocular vision are among the conditions that there are different treatment approaches.

Eye health must be considered seriously, specially eye health of the children. Eye doctors recommend parents to visit them for their children’s first eye exam at six months. This is important in terms of understanding if their eyes are developing in normal way. 

pediatric ophthalmology is the clinic where you should visit with your child periodically for eye exams for children. Your child’s and other children's vision and visual development are monitored here. In the field of optometry studies still carried out about pediatric eye exams for even better treatments.