How might coloboma affect a childs vision?
Coloboma can affect vision in different ways depending on how affected the eyes are. If only a small part of the iris is missing then the child’s vision may be normal. If a large part of the retina and optic nerve is missing then vision may be poor. A large part of the visual world may be missing (visual field loss) and the sharpness of vision may be reduced. A child like this may only see bright lights and large shapes from the affected eye. Despite this, young children with large colobomas and visual impairment will at first feel their vision to be ‘normal’. They have never known anything else but their own visual world. They will assume that everyone else has vision the same as their own. They will not realise that other people see things differently. Fast ‘to-and-fro’ movements of the eyes can develop. This is called Nystagmus. Sometimes a child with coloboma can also develop a squint. This is when the eyes do not look in the same direction. If you wish more information on any of t
