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Children’s Eye Doctors in Tennessee and Alabama
At SouthEast Eye Specialists and VisionAmerica, our pediatric eye care specialists provide advanced diagnosis and treatment for infants, children, and adolescents with vision and eye health concerns.
Serving families throughout Tennessee and Alabama, our team combines advanced diagnostic technology with a gentle, child-friendly approach to help protect your child’s vision, support healthy development, and provide coordinated care with parents, pediatricians, optometrists, and referring providers.
Comprehensive Pediatric Eye Care from SouthEast Eye Specialists and VisionAmerica
Healthy vision plays an important role in a child’s learning, development, coordination, and confidence. At SouthEast Eye Specialists and VisionAmerica, our pediatric eye care specialists provide expert evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment for a wide range of vision and eye health concerns in infants, children, and adolescents.
Our team serves families throughout Tennessee and Alabama with advanced pediatric eye exams, child-friendly care, and personalized treatment plans. The current page emphasizes that pediatric eye care supports a child’s development, learning, and confidence, while also noting the importance of coordinated care with referring optometrists, pediatricians, and parents.
Why Early Pediatric Eye Exams Matter
A child’s visual system develops rapidly during the first decade of life. Early detection and treatment are important because some childhood eye conditions, including amblyopia and strabismus, can lead to long-term vision problems if they are not diagnosed and treated promptly.
Routine pediatric eye exams can help identify concerns that may affect school performance, eye tracking, hand-eye coordination, depth perception, reading comfort, and overall development. The existing page notes that untreated amblyopia or strabismus can become permanent if missed, and that early exams support academic performance, eye tracking, hand-eye coordination, and development.
Pediatric Eye Conditions We Treat
The pediatric eye care team at SouthEast Eye Specialists and VisionAmerica evaluates and treats a wide range of childhood eye conditions, from common vision issues to more complex medical and surgical concerns.
Common pediatric eye conditions include:
• Amblyopia, also called lazy eye
• Strabismus, or crossed eyes
• Blocked tear ducts
• Pediatric cataracts
• Congenital cataracts
• Conjunctivitis, or pink eye
• Pediatric glaucoma
• Refractive errors,
• Eye tracking or alignment concerns
• Vision changes affecting school or daily activities
Why Early Pediatric Eye Care Matters
A child’s visual system develops rapidly during the first decade of life. Early detection and treatment are important because some childhood eye conditions, including amblyopia and strabismus, can lead to long-term vision problems if they are not diagnosed and treated promptly.
Routine pediatric eye exams can help identify concerns that may affect school performance, eye tracking, hand-eye coordination, depth perception, reading comfort, and overall development.
The existing page notes that untreated amblyopia or strabismus can become permanent if missed, and that early exams support academic performance, eye tracking, hand-eye coordination, and development.
Pediatric Eye Exams: the Facts
- An estimated 4% of the U.S. population has Strabismus.
- If undiagnosed and untreated in children, these disorders often lead to permanently diminished vision in one eye that is not treatable with glasses.
- Strabismus can also lead to a lack of depth perception and delays in motor skills and development.
- Strabismus also affects adults. It often persists after childhood strabismus and new cases develop as a result of injury, trauma, stroke, and other systemic or neurologic illnesses. Adult strabismus can cause a wide array of significant social difficulties. Studies show problems ranging from self-esteem to lack of employment.
- Adult strabismus also causes double vision and difficulties with daily activities.
Pediatric Amblyopia
- Amblyopia is a condition of reduced vision in one eye that most often develops before the age of 6.
- It can be caused by a variety of underlying abnormalities, including strabismus, undiagnosed need for glasses, eyelid abnormalities, cataracts, corneal abnormalities, and retinal abnormalities.
- The condition can worsen and lead to permanent vision loss in the amblyopia-affected eye.
- Vision loss happens due to the child’s brain failing to develop the neurologic pathways required for vision
- Treatment options include glasses, patching, Atropine drops, and surgery.
Pediatric Blocked Tear Ducts
- This is common for newborns.
- Most newborns resolve the blockage within the first 3 months of life.
- When the blockage does not resolve, surgical intervention is sometimes needed to restore proper drainage of the tears.
- Blockage of tear drainage leads to stagnation in the lacrimal sac, causing a very irritating mucous discharge.
Pediatric Cataracts
- Cataracts are a common ailment during the geriatric years, but children and babies also suffer from cataracts though this is much less common.
- When babies are born with cataracts they are referred to as Congenital Cataracts.
- It is estimated that 0.4% of newborns suffer from congenital cataracts.
- Early treatment is essential to obtaining the best outcome possible.
- Surgery is required for some cataracts in order to restore visual abilities.
Pediatric Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye)
- The white parts of the eyes and the area around them may appear red due to inflammation.
- This can be caused by bacterial or viral infections, allergies, systemic inflammation, or blocked tear ducts.
- Pink eye may require special treatment.
Pediatric Glaucoma
- Glaucoma is common for adults, but children and babies also suffer from this vision-threatening ailment.
- Glaucoma can be something babies are born with, but also can be caused by injuries or untreated eye disorders.
- Glaucoma may not have symptoms visible to the parents.
- It will sometimes cause cloudy appearance of the cornea (the normally clear outer part of the eye).
- The affected eye might become larger than the other, and the child might experience light sensitivity, increased tearing, and excessive blinking.
- Treatment options include medications or glaucoma surgery.
Pediatric Doctors
Our Services
Cataracts
Cornea
Glaucoma
Neurological Eye Conditions
Oculoplastics
Pediatrics
Retina
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Multiple locations across the Southeast
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