Vision impairment

Vision impairment can range from no vision – blindness – or very low vision to not being able to see particular colours. Babies might have vision impairment at birth. It can also happen later as a result of disease, injury or a medical condition. The way a child behaves or uses his eyes might be a sign of a problem with the way he sees. Severe vision loss or blindness can affect your child’s development and learning. Early intervention can help your child reach her full potential.

What is vision impairment?

Low vision means having impaired vision that cannot be corrected by glasses or medications. The most seriuos situation of vision impairment is blindness.

What is blindness?

 A child is considered legally blind if she can’t see at 6 m what a child with normal vision can see at 60 m, or if her field of vision is less than 20° in diameter (a person with normal vision can see 180°).

Causes of vision impairment

Babies might have vision impairment at birth. It can also happen later as a result of disease, injury or a medical condition.

The most common causes of vision impairment are:

  • neurological conditions that affect the parts of the brain that control sight (cortical vision impairment)
  • genetic conditions like albinism and retinitis pigmentosa
  • illnesses that happen to some very premature babies or babies that have particular problems during their birth
  • conditions like paediatric glaucoma or cataracts and cancers like retinoblastoma
  • infections with particular viruses during pregnancy – for example, rubella, cytomegalovirus, sexually transmitted infection, toxoplasmosis and so on
  • structural problems with the eyes that limit vision – for example, microphthalmia or anophthalmia
  • damage or injury to the eye, to the pathways connecting the eye to the brain, or to the visual centre of the brain.

Early signs and symptoms of vision impairment

Children who have vision impairment might have normal-looking eyes. Often, it will be something about a child’s behaviour or the way he uses his eyes that makes you think there might be a problem with the way he sees.

Most babies start to focus on faces and objects by 4-5 weeks of age. By about 6-8 weeks, most babies will start smiling at the familiar faces and things they see. But if a baby has a vision impairment, you might notice she has trouble doing this.

Other signs that a baby might have a problem with his vision are if his:

  • eyes move quickly from side to side (nystagmus), jerk or wander randomly
  • eyes don’t follow your face or an object, or he doesn’t seem to make eye contact with family and friends
  • eyes don’t react to bright light being turned on in the room
  • pupils seem white or cloudy rather than black
  • eyes don’t appear straight but turn towards the nose or drift outwards.

An older child might:

  • hold things up close to her face
  • say she is tired or rub her eyes a lot
  • turn or tilt her head or cover one eye when looking at things up close
  • get tired after looking at things up close – for example, reading, drawing or playing handheld games
  • seem to see better during the day than at night
  • seem to have crossed or turned eyes or a squint (lazy eye)
  • seem clumsy – for example, she might knock things over or trip often.

Diagnosis of vision impairment

Diagnosis of vision impairment is usually  done by the ophthalmologist..

Effects of blindness

Blindness can affect lots of areas such as :

  • communicating,
  • playing and socialising with others
  • talking – for example, the  baby might not point to objects, so that the people around him won’t name these objects.
  • delay in ability to sit, walk etc..
  • delay in ability to read, write and to play with objects.

Early intervention services for children with vision impairment

 Early intervention with specialists in the field is very important and can help the child learn new skills and support  development and communication.

Looking after yourself and your family

Although it’s easy to get caught up in looking after your child, it’s important to look after your own wellbeing too. If you’re physically and mentally well, you’ll be better able to care for your child.

Talking to other parents can be a great way to get support. You can connect with other parents in similar situations by joining a face-to-face or online support group.

If you have other children, these siblings of children with disability need to feel that they’re just as important to you – that you care about them and what they’re going through. It’s important to talk with them, spend time with them, and find the right support for them too