For supplementary materials see ExpertConsult.com. See inside cover for access details. Introduction Pediatric ophthalmologists are often asked to evaluate children who are experiencing difficulties learning to read. Difficulty learning to read occurs in nearly 65% of students in the United…
Features and definitions of visual conversion disorder (unconscious disorders) Many terms are useful ( Table 63.1 ) but none perfectly encapsulates what we refer to as visual conversion disorder (VCD). Conversion disorder implies a particular unconscious process wherein vision is…
Introduction Visual impairment (VI), defined as a reduction of visual acuity and/or visual field loss, is diagnosed from the combination of history, physical examination, electrodiagnostic testing, genetic evaluation, and neuroimaging. Following counseling of the family regarding the diagnosis, the professional…
Introduction Pediatric ophthalmologists are frequently faced with the challenge of discussing varying degrees of vision loss. While sometimes decreased vision in children or diplopia in adults may be reversible, at other times it is permanent. Growing evidence indicates that quality…
Introduction Many congenital and acquired disorders of the central nervous system can affect a child’s vision. Several of these directly affect vital visual structures and pathways resulting in varying disability. In many parts of the world, the prevalence of visual…
Introduction Raised intracranial pressure (RICP) and its potential for causing permanent vision loss requires close monitoring by the eye physician. Pseudotumor cerebri syndrome (PTCS, also known as idiopathic intracranial hypertension), brain tumors, structural brain abnormalities, and acquired infectious/inflammatory conditions are…
Introduction Headache is a common symptom in children. Recent population-based studies have found that headaches generally increased from childhood to adolescence and there is an estimated overall mean prevalence of headache in children and adolescents of about 50%–60%. Accompanying eye…
Introduction The chiasm is so named because it is shaped like the Greek letter chi. Over 2 million nerve fibers pass through it: most are visual, but some non-visual fibers project from the optic chiasm to hypothalamic nuclei, forming the…
Pediatric optic neuritis Optic neuritis is an inflammatory or demyelinating process involving the optic nerve. The presentation of optic neuritis is characterized by painful, acute/subacute vision loss with corroborating evidence of an optic neuropathy on examination that may include a…
Introduction Acquired optic disc abnormalities in children can range from benign incidental findings to harbingers of various systemic diseases. It is important for ophthalmologists to understand the various findings that one might detect when examining the optic disc of a…