Childhood and adolescence

Thanks to major advances in pediatric ophthalmology, equipment is now available that can determine whether there are visual or eye problems at any age, even in children who cannot yet speak.

Vision problems in children often go unnoticed, mainly because they have no point of comparison and so they experience the way they see as “normal.”

Prevention is essential to avoid eye problems or serious consequences for vision that cannot be remedied later on. That is why it is important for children to receive appropriate, regular eye care.

Newborns can only distinguish objects as shapes; in the first month of life, vision improves as the baby learns to fixate on light, and by three months, as they learn to follow moving objects in front of them. Throughout childhood, vision continues to develop as the eye grows; however, if the eyes don't develop to their full capacity, visual ability decreases. After age 7, the development of the visual system tends to be complete, and any unresolved visual defects can no longer be improved — a condition known as amblyopia.