What causes visual impairment in young children?
There are many causes of visual impairment in young children, but they can be divided into two main categories: • Conditions that affect the eyes, due to damage of certain parts of the eye or distortions of the eyeballs shape • Conditions that affect the parts of the brain that receive and interpret the signals from the eyes. In the first group, there are many conditions that are genetic in origin or are present at the time of birth (congenital). Examples include: optic nerve hypoplasia, some forms of glaucoma, microphthalmia (very small eye), and coloboma (failure of closure of a fetal cleft in the eyes lining). Premature infants are at higher risk of developing retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), which usually resolves, but occasionally can lead to retinal detachment. Fetal or postnatal infections or trauma can sometimes cause damage to the eye or optic nerve. In the second group are disorders of the brain that often occur in infancy or early childhood, such as brain hemorrhages in pre
