Eye conditions that can affect children Color blindness (color vision deficiency)
While a loss of visual acuity is often associated with senior citizens, various diseases and conditions of the eye can affect children. The American Academy of Opthalmology says many conditions and diseases can impact a child’s vision. Early diagnosis and treatment are critical to improving a youngster’s eye health and helping him or her see and feel better.
Learning about certain conditions and how to recognize their accompanying symptoms can help parents ensure kids get the treatment they need.
The main symptom of color blindness is difficulty distinguishing between colors or making mistakes when identifying colors, particularly those shaded red and green. Typically by age five, children with normal color vision will be able to identify groups of colors, so if a school-aged child is having difficulty or showing disinterest in coloring, he or she may benefit from a colorblindness test. The National Eye Institute says color blindness is much more common in males than in females.