As a parent, guardian, or caregiver, you want to give your child every possible advantage as they begin their lives. Many put time and energy into finding the right childcare or preschool, checking references on nannies and babysitters, and investigating the best pediatricians in the area. 

If you want to start your child off on the best foot, make sure you also place a focus on their eyesight. Keep reading to learn when your child should see a pediatric ophthalmologist!

Get a Head Start on Vision Care

Finding a trusted pediatric ophthalmologist and scheduling your child’s first eye exam when they turn two years old is an important step many overlook. Especially if your child has difficulty seeing, you want to know as early as possible.

Uncorrected vision problems can impact a child’s developmental milestones and set them up for frustration and even failure later on. If you’ve ever worn glasses, you know the magic that occurs when things you couldn’t see before come into sharp focus. 

Sometimes, children do not know to voice a blurry vision issue or that they are even experiencing one. By taking your child to the eye doctor early in life, you can get ahead of the issue and ensure they see the world with clear vision.

Diagnosing Vision Problems Early

The pediatric ophthalmologists at Berg Feinfield understand how important your child’s total wellness is to you, including eyesight. Pediatric ophthalmologists can identify vision problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, all of which can be handled with corrective lenses. 

If there’s any indication of eye conditions such as amblyopia or strabismus, they can guide you toward a treatment plan to address these problems before they worsen.

What Is Amblyopia?

You might know it as lazy eye, and it’s common among children. Amblyopia is caused by abnormal visual development and is characterized by reduced vision in one eye.

The weaker or lazy eye often wanders, while the unaffected eye becomes stronger. This condition develops in children through age six and is commonly treated with glasses or an eye patch. 

The goal of treatment is to strengthen the weaker eye.

What Is Strabismus?

Strabismus occurs when the eyes do not line up correctly and point in different directions. While it’s often referred to as crossed eyes, one eye may look straight ahead while the other eye turns in, out, up, or down. 

When strabismus affects children, it makes them unable to align both eyes correctly and focus both eyes on one object simultaneously. Special eyeglasses, blurring eye drops, an eyepatch, prisms, or eye exercises may be prescribed. 

In advanced cases, eye doctors may recommend surgery to treat strabismus.

What To Expect From a Children’s Eye Exam

At age two, your child will be tested for visual acuity, eye alignment, and focusing skills, which are essential for reading and eye-tracking. Your child may need testing earlier if there’s evidence of a visual problem.

Testing can also detect dyslexia, color blindness, amblyopia, or crossed eyes. Schedule an annual eye exam for your child regularly, the same as you’d do for yourself. 

Early detection is critical in preventing difficulties in development and learning.

Symptoms of Vision Problems

If your child is older, like school-aged, for example, certain behaviors are indicators of visual problems. If you spot one or more of the following, make sure to schedule an eye exam:

• sitting close to the TV
• difficulty reading
• squinting
• rubbing eyes
• sensitivity to light
• frequent headaches

It’s relatively easy to diagnose and correct vision problems, and help your child achieve to the best of their abilities.

Is it time for your child to have an eye exam? Schedule an appointment at Berg Feinfield Vision Correction in Burbank, CA, today!

Getting older is a fact of life. The signs of age are natural, but that doesn’t mean you’re wrong to feel self-conscious about wrinkles on your face.

You should look the way you want and feel confident about yourself. Luckily, there’s a way you can do that with gentle, non-permanent Botox injections!

Botox eliminates facial lines to give you a more youthful appearance. Treat yourself to Botox this holiday season and regain your ideal look and young mindset.

Keep reading to learn more about Botox and why it’s the ideal gift to yourself!

How Does Botox Work?

A botulinum toxin gets injected under your skin when you get Botox. Injecting a toxin into your skin may sound counterintuitive.

But Botox uses small enough amounts of botulinum that it remains in the area of injection. When it goes into your facial muscles, it freezes them.

Common wrinkles like forehead lines, frown lines, crow’s feet, and necklines come from repeated muscle contractions. Botox freezes your muscles by blocking neurotransmitters that cause them to contract.

Preventing this contraction prevents the wrinkles that facial muscles create. This minimizes and can even eliminate the appearance of facial lines.

What Are The Benefits of Botox?

Botox is ineffective on wrinkles caused by sagging skin. But it can make you appear more youthful by smoothing out facial lines caused by muscle contractions.

It’s also far less invasive than cosmetic surgery. Another benefit of Botox over other cosmetic procedures is that it’s temporary.

After a few months, your body will process the botulinum, and the effects will ultimately wear off. Botox allows you to reduce wrinkles without committing to permanently changing your appearance.

You can get one injection and know the changes will be temporary. Then if you do like the way you look, you can get more injections or opt for a cosmetic procedure.

If you like how you look after Botox, you can get repeat injections. Botox is also great at treating non-cosmetic issues. It can end:

• Chronic migraines
• Eye twitching
• Lazy eye
• Muscle contractions from neurological conditions

Botox is highly effective for various uses, and it can give you needed physical and mental relief.

Gift Yourself Botox

Botox is excellent for chronic medical conditions, but it’s most well-known as a cosmetic treatment. You deserve to look your best and not for anyone else.

You deserve to look your best for yourself. And what better way to show yourself love than by giving yourself the gift of Botox?

When you feel like you look old or tired, a rejuvenated appearance can have a significant effect on your mental health. It makes sense.

When you think you look tired, you probably feel more tired. When you think you look bright and youthful, you’ll act more bright and youthful.

Botox can change your appearance. But perhaps more importantly, it can change your mindset.

Become more confident in the new year by getting Botox this holiday season. Schedule an appointment at Berg Feinfield Vision Correction in Arcadia, CA. Learn how Botox can benefit you!