An Overview of Visual Impairments in Children With Cerebral Palsy

By Paul Ramon

     

    

Unfortunately, visual impairment is common in children with cerebral palsy. As many as 75 percent will develop some degree of visual impairment during their development. Because sight is such a key element to a child's growth and development, diagnosis and treatment of vision issues at the earliest possible stage is critical in children with cerebral palsy. Parents need to familiarize themselves with the types of vision disorders common in children with CP as part of an effort to provide them with a full and functional life as they grow older.

Cerebral palsy can result in many different vision disorders, but the 4 most common are CVI (cortical visual impairment), acuity loss, field loss and amblyopia.

CVI is a dysfunction of the brain and not a direct problem with the eyes. It is the most common visual impairment among children with CP. It is known as "cortical visual impairment," "cerebral visual impairment" or sometimes "cortical blindness" (despite the fact that not all people who suffer from CVI are totally blind). The list of potential causes of CVI-asphyxia, ischemia or hypoxia during the birth process; developmental brain defects, head injury, hydrocephalus, infant stroke, etc. mirrors the list of potential causes for cerebral palsy. Symptoms of CVI include: poor visual acuity, abnormal response to light, atypical eye movement, fatigue from visual tasks and difficulty picking out specific objects in a busy array.

Acuity loss is what it sound like: blurred vision. Common farsightedness and nearsightedness are examples of acuity loss and can usually be treated by corrective glasses or contact lenses.

Field loss is the umbrella term for a dysfunction in the eye's field of vision. For instance, "Central loss" would refer to a visual impairment in the center of the field of vision. "Hemianopia" refers to visual impairment in one of the four corners of the field of vision. "Island of vision" is when all but one or two isolated spots are visually impaired "Scotomas" refers to the reversal symptoms of "Island of vision-when only one or two spots are visually impaired. "Peripheral loss" (aka "tunnel vision") is the loss of visual fidelity on one or more sides.

"Amblyopia" (aka "lazy eye) occurs when a person has trouble determining depth of field and one eye will have noticeably poorer vision than the other.

Apart from the symptoms of CVI listed above, it is important for parents of children with cerebral palsy to be on the constant lookout for other eye and vision related problems. Poor focusing or tracking, constant eye rubbing, squinting, chronic redness or tearing could be indicators of the early stages of a vision disorder and should be checked out as soon as possible.

Most vision impairments in children with cerebral palsy are just as treatable as they are in children without and many can be managed with corrective lenses of some kind. For children diagnosed with CVI, the treatment can become more involved. Recent developments in "visual stimulation therapies" can help maximize your child's visual skills and resources. If a child's visual skills have not reached prescribed milestones within the first 10 years, it may become necessary to begin training the child in non-visual forms of communication, writing and reading, including Braille and text-to-speech software. You will need to work with your child's optometrist to develop the appropriate treatment and education path to fit the child's specific needs.

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Choosing Sports Eyewear Smartly

By Hillary G Glaser

     

    

Did you know that every year, emergency rooms all over the United States treat more than 40,000 sports-related eye injuries? According to Prevent Blindness, most of these injuries could have been prevented and even non-contact sports, like badminton, can present a danger to your eyes. Playing sports is important for your heart, your health, and your spirit but there are ways of protecting your eyes against rogue balls that may fly towards your head. Any sport with balls, racquets, or flying objects also pose a danger to your eyes but there are ways of preventing injury. Besides being aware of your surroundings, wearing the appropriate protective eye gear can help prevent eye injuries during sports.

Think about it - in a game of tennis, the ball moves around 60 miles per hour towards and away from your racquet. One slight move and the ball can hit you directly in the eye or towards the side of your head- causing injury. The larger and faster the ball, the more risk involved. These are fantastic reasons to wear protective eyewear like sporting goggles or prescription glasses fashioned with polycarbonate lenses. Since most of the injuries associated with pokes and jabs that come from your fellow player's fingers, it's duly important to wear some kind of protective gear. Basketball and swimming have the highest rates of injury, so it's no surprise that professional athletes in the NBA and Olympic swimmers wear some form of goggle.

A lot of today's protective eyewear comes in prescription form since most players and coaches know that playing with anything less than 20/20 vision is counter-productive. Yet, most glasses, sunglasses, and safety glasses generally don't provide the appropriate amount of protection you need when playing spots. There are a few features to look for in protective sports eyewear. Sports goggles come in a wide range of styles, shapes, and sizes but most are designed for sports that require a racquet like tennis. There are goggles and eye masks for soccer and basketball players, too, but they leave much to be desired in terms of attractiveness. Hockey and football players are the lucky ones since their protective eyewear is generally designed to fit inside their helmets - which already offer them protection. Before picking out a pair of sports goggles or glasses, think about what sport you are about to play.

Lenses are also important. The best lens for eye protection is made from polycarbonate. Given how impact resistant and shatter resistant polycarbonate is, it's the perfect choice for people who play sports. Polycarbonate lenses also work well to protect your eyes from harmful ultraviolet light, making them the perfect all-purpose lens for outdoor sports. If left untreated, polycarbonate lenses can easily become scratched. Your best bet is to have your eye glasses or goggle lenses coated in an anti-scratch coating. If you're worried about glare, you may want to have them dipped in an anti-glare coating as well which will help anyone from golfers to tennis pros. Additionally, the frames associated with sporting wear are different than your average eyeglasses frames, so make sure your frames are suitable for your sport and not for every day use.
 

Hillary Glaser is a social networking specialist and expert in cross-media promotion, currently working on promoting prescription eyeglasses. She is the Director of Marketing and Special Projects for GlassesUSA.com - the easiest way to buy glasses online, which now offers free shipping on all US orders with the code FreeShip10.
 

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Eye Doctor Versus Optometrist - Know the Difference?

By Hillary Glaser

     

Optician versus optometrist versus ophthalmologists (eye doctors), did you even know that there is a very distinctive difference? Well, for a vast majority of people, the answer is surprisingly "no", even though ones eyes are such a crucial part of ones life and ability to live fully and enjoy to the fullest.

From the outset, one should always remember that every profession has its place and so whether optician, optometrist or ophthalmologist, all three have very special roles to play in maintaining the overall health of your eyes. However, knowing who to visit and when will help to save you a lot of time, money and effort.

Let's start with opticians, who are untrained professionals whose role is to help you to find the perfect glasses frames to suit all elements of your personality, lifestyle, loves and so on; but, they are not able to do eye examinations or to treat eye problems - at all and ever! Opticians are usually found at offline retail stores as they provide a face to face service for customers buying eyeglasses. As the online world of glasses buying takes over, their roles are becoming redundant.

Then we have optometrists, who act as your primary eye care providers and have put effort into attaining a degree and special license to be a Doctor of Optometry. This kind of professional is able to fully test your eyes; both to update your eyeglasses prescription, and to detect more serious eye problems such as glaucoma, cataracts, detached retina and so on; as well as testing color perception, depth, and the ability to focus and coordinate the eyes. Therefore, your optometrist is able to diagnose, and in many cases, treat most optical problems and to adapt the necessary strengths for new eyeglasses or contact lenses. What an optometrist lacks is the ability to carry out surgery and so, for any big problems, he/she will refer you to a specialist, generally known as an ophthalmologist or eye doctor.

An ophthalmologist is a full medical doctor with a full Doctor of Medicine degree (M.D. or D.O.), extensive clinical training and a complete general knowledge of all medical issues. Although most people would choose to simply go to an ophthalmologist for all of their eye care needs, ophthalmologists rarely practice optometry and so, will not simply see a patient who wants to check their eyes for an updated prescription and he will not keep a supply of glasses and contact lenses; or order them in for patients. An ophthalmologist is able to practice surgery and is usually kept very busy operating on those with glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration and other retinal problems, or helping patients to deal with the effects or after effects of these eye diseases. Most people who have ever been operated on by an ophthalmologist will need to see him for a annual check up to ensure that their eyes remain at their most optimal, possible.

So now the knowledge is yours and when next you have a problem with your eyes, you will not make a mistake on choosing the right eye professional to visit!

H. Glaser works with GlassesUSA.com - the easiest way to buy glasses online. She is an optical expert specializing in styling eyeglasses for the company.

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Home Remedies For Tired Eyes

By Sofia Portner

     

Tired eyes can affect your whole body, you have trouble thinking, concentrating and your mind feels all blocked up. Tiredness of the eyes is a very common problem which comes hand-in-hand with lack of sleep, when your eyes don't get enough rest they become sore, the skin becomes swollen and puffy, you may even get bloodshot eyes. This is because your eyes need resting time, usually 7-8 hours a night is enough. During sleeping hours your eyes process all the things they have seen that day, without this time to rest they get over worked.
Tired Eyes Symptoms

• Burning
• Redness
• Blurry Vision
• Heaviness
• Headache
• Itchiness

If you are suffering from any of the symptoms above then you are most likely suffering from tired eyes. But don't worry it's not a serious problem, a good nights rest should sort it out in no time.
If there is any pain in the eyes then a doctor should be consulted, this is not something that is advised to be treated at home.
Home Remedies For Tired Eyes
Using a home remedy for tired eyes is always the best option, it is gentle to your eyes and doesn't cost a lot of money. Here are some of the best ways to treat your tired eyes from home.

• Try placing two spoons in the fridge overnight, when you get them out they will be quite cold. Place them on closed eyelids to help with any tiredness or puffiness. You eyes should feel a bit more awake.
• Dip a cotton ball into some milk, and place it on the eyes for a few minutes. Milk is said to have healing properties which work well on tired eyes.
• Cucumber is popular for helping eyes relax and this is because it actually does, cucumber is made mostly from water. Cut a couple of slices and place them over the eyes for instant relief.
• Washing the eyes regularly with cold water may help, it helps lubricate them and stops them from feelings tired.
• Get a cup of water and mix in some lavender oil, dip a cotton ball into the mixture and rub over the eyelids. Lavender is very useful for helping to relax and getting your muscles to relax. It is perfect for helping to get a good nights rest.
• If you wear contacts, try removing them for a couple of days and stick to glasses. Contacts can aggravate the eyes surface so it would be beneficial to take a break and use some of the above treatments on the eyes.
• Don't read in the dark or use the computer in a dark room, this can cause your eyes to have to work harder than they need to which makes them more tired. Take a break for a little while if you are using the computer for long periods of time.

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