EyesBREAKER

In the eyes…

INFANT VISION DEVELOPMENT

Birth to Four Months• At birth, babies have not yet developed the ability to easily tell

the difference between two targets or move their eyes between two images. Their primary focus is on objects 8 to 10 inches from their face or the distance to parent’s face.

• During the first month of life, the eyes start working together and vision rapidly. Infants start tracking moving objects with their ayes and reaching for them.

• For the first two months of life, infant’s eyes are not well coordinated. It is normal to appear to be crossed or wandering. However, when turning is constantly, an evaluation is warranted.

• Babies should begin to follow moving objects with their eyes and reach things at around three months of age.

Five to Eight Months• Control of eye movements and eye-body coordination skills

continue to improve.• Around the fifth month, eyes are capable of working together

to form a three-dimensional view of the world and begin to see in depth.

• It is believed that babies have good color vision.• Most babies start crawling by 8 months, which helps further

develop eye-hand-foot-body coordination.

Nine to Twelve Months• Babies should be using their eyes and hands together.• Around 9 months of age, babies begin to pull themselves up to

a standing position.• By 10 months, baby should be able to grasp objects with

thumb and forefinger.• By 12 months, most babies will be crawling and trying to walk.

Parents should encourage crawling rather than early walking to help the child develop better eye-hand coordination.

• Babies can now judge distances fairly well and throw things with precision.

One to Two Years Old• By two years of age, a child’s eye-hand coordination and depth

perception should be well developed.• Children this age are highly interested in exploring their

environment and in looking and listening. They recognize familiar objects and pictures in books and can scribble with crayon or pencil.

EYE MYTHS AND FACTS

MYTH 1:Doing eye exercises will keep you from needing glasses.

FACT: Eye exercises do not enhance or preserve vision or diminish the need for glasses. Your vision relies on the shape of your eyes, the health of your eye tissues, and many other factors, none of which can be appreciably altered with eye exercises.

MYTH 2:Reading in dim light will worsen your vision

FACT: Dim lighting can make your eyes feel fatigued more quickly, but it will not harm your eyesight. Focus your reading light directly on the page you are reading, not over your shoulder. A light that shines from over your shoulder can create glare, making it more difficult to see.

MYTH 3:Eating carrots improves your eyesight

FACT: Carrots do contain vitamin A, which is good for the eyes. But dark green leafy vegetables and fresh fruit are even better. They contain more antioxidant vitamins such as C and E, which can protect the eyes from cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. However, eating vegetables and/or taking supplements will not prevent or repair vision problems such as nearsightedness or farsightedness.

MYTH 4: You shouldn’t wear glasses all the time. Taking a break from glasses or contact

lenses allows your eyes to rest

FACT: If you are prescribed glasses for distance or reading, use them. Trying to read without reading glasses will simply strain your eyes and tire them out. Using glasses won’t weaken your vision or lead to eye disease.

MYTH 5: Staring at a computer screen all day is harmful to the eyes

FACT: Spending the day staring at a screen can tire or strain your eyes, but it will not hurt them. Make sure lighting doesn’t create a glare on your screen. When spending long periods at your keyboard, take a break now and then to rest your eyes to reduce fatigue. Also, don’t forget to blink. Your eyes need to stay lubricated to feel comfortable.

Parts and Functions of the Eyes

Cornea• Tagged as the “window of the eye”• It is the outer thin transparent membrane of the eyeball• Serves to protect the eye and refract most of the incident light

Pupil• The black circle• An opening trough which light enters the inner portion of the

eye• Changes its size to regulate amount of light entering the eye

Iris• Colored portion of the eye• Regulates the size of the pupil by contraction or relaxation of

its muscles

Lens• Focuses the light on the retina• Biconvex transparent body situated behind the iris

Aqueous Humor and Vitreous Humor• Responsible for giving the eye its near perfect spherical shape• Belong to the refractive system of the eye

Retina• The inner surface of the eye• Receives images formed by the lens and transmits them

through the optic nerve to the brain

Macula Lutea• Part of the retina• a small yellowish central area of the retina that is rich in cones

and that mediates clear detailed vision

Fovia Centralis• Another part of the retina• Found in the center of the macula lutea• A small depression in the retina of the eye where visual acuity

is highest

Optic Nerve• transmits electrical impulses from the retina to the brain• connects to the back of the eye near the macula

A journey through the human eye…

SIGNS OF EYE AND VISION PROBLEMS

PRESENCE OF EYE VISION PROBLEMS AMONG INFANTS ARE RARE

Parents need to look for the following signs that may be indications of eye and vision problems:• Excessive tearing – may indicate blocked tear ducts• Red/Encrusted eyelids – could be a sign of an aye infection• Constant eye turning – may signal a problem with eye

muscle control• Extreme sensitivity to light – may indicate an elevated

pressure in the eye• Appearance of a white pupil – may indicate the presence

of eye cancer

PROBLEMS WITH SEEING

Myopia

• Medical term for nearsightedness

• People suffering from this visual problem can see close objects clearly but the distant ones are blurred.

• The eyeball is larger than the normal or too curved

• This can be corrected by diverging lens.

Hyperopia

• Hypermetropia• Farsightedness can see

distant object but cannot focus clearly on nearby objects

• The eyeball is too short and the image of the object is formed behind the retina

• This can be correct by converging lens.

Presbyopia

• Aging eyes or old eyes• It is a normal

consequence of growing old and cannot be prevented

• Crystalline lens hardens and the ciliary muscles become less flexible

• Bifocal lens is prescribed• Progressive lens may be

used

Astigmatism

• A person suffering from astigmatism cannot focus simultaneously on horizontal and vertical lines.

• The cornea have unequal curvature

• Some people prefer wearing contact lenses instead of eyeglasses.

Visual Tests

Visual Acuity Tests• most common tests used to evaluate eyesight• measure the eye's ability to see details at near and far

distances• involve reading letters or looking at symbols of different sizes

on an eye chart

Refraction• a test that measures the eyes' need for corrective lenses

(refractive error)• done after a visual acuity test• done as a routine part of an eye examination for people who

already wear glasses or contact lenses• will also be done if the results of the other visual acuity tests

show that your eyesight is below normal and can be corrected by glasses

Visual Field Tests• used to check for gaps in your side (peripheral) vision done

after a visual acuity test• your complete visual field is the entire area seen when your

gaze is fixed in one direction• the complete visual field is seen by both eyes at the same

time, and it includes the central visual field-which detects the highest degree of detail-and the peripheral visual fields

Color VisionTests• check your ability to distinguish colors• used to screen for color blindness in people with suspected

retinal or optic nerve disease or who have a family history of color blindness

• also used to screen applicants for jobs in fields where color perception is essential, such as law enforcement, the military, or electronics

• only detect a problem-further testing is needed to identify what is causing the problem

Keeping Eyes Healthy

What Parents Can Do To Help With Visual

Development

Birth to Four Months• Use a nightlight or other dim lamp in your baby’s room• Change the crib’s position frequently and change your child’s

position in it• Keep reach-and-touch toys within your baby’s focus, about 8

to 12 inches• talk to your baby as you walk around the room• Alternate right and left sides with each feeding

Five to Eight Months• Hang a mobile, crib gym or various objects across the crib for

the baby to grab, pull and kick• Give the baby plenty of time to play and explore on the floor• Provide plastic or wooden blocks that can be held in the hands• Play patty cake and other games, moving the baby’s hands

through the motion while saying the words aloud

Nine to Twelve Months• Play hide and seek games with toys or your face to help the

baby develop visual memory• Name objects when talking to encourage the baby’s word

association and vocabulary development skills• Encourage crawling and creeping.

One to Two Years Old• Roll a ball back and forth to help the child track objects with

the eyes visually• Give the child building blocks and balls of all shapes and size to

play to boost fine motor skills and small muscle development• Read or tell stories to stimulate the child’s ability to visualize

and pave the way for learning and reading skills

The EndThank you for listening…