Since 1972, Associated Eye Care has been serving patients across the Twin Cities by providing the utmost in vision care, from routine preventative exams to the most intricate of surgical procedures. Our goal has been to approach each and every patient with a warm and caring manner, giving our patients the best experience possible in our clinics and surgery center.
Pediatric vision problems can affect a child’s ability to play, read and learn. It is important to catch vision problems early before they begin to affect schoolwork and other activities. Many children are afraid of going to the doctor or cannot effectively communicate, which can create additional complexities when diagnosing and treating pediatric vision problems.
Schedule online with Dr Engelbart, Dr Hickson, Dr Lynch, or Dr Schloff.
In addition to routine eye exams for children, the experienced team at Associated Eye Care provides advanced evaluation of common pediatric eye conditions.
Amblyopia, also known as “lazy eye” is poor vision due to lack of normal development of sight. It is a very common condition, affecting 2-3 of every 100 people. Normally, children’s eyes continue to develop from birth until age 9 or 10. Amblyopia is caused by conditions that interfere with that normal development.
Strabismus is a condition that causes the eyes to misalign. The eyes of strabismus patients may turn in, out, up or down, and one or both eyes may be affected. This can cause problems with depth perception. Strabismus may stem from a disorder affecting the brain’s ability to coordinate the eyes, but it is more frequently caused by one or more muscles that do not function correctly. It is best treated in childhood, but adults can also benefit from evaluation.
Chronic tearing or overflow tearing is a common condition in infants. Up to one-third of all newborns have excessive mucus and tears in their eyes. Chronic tearing happens when a blockage exists in the tear duct, typically a membrane that doesn’t open up naturally as it should. This blockage prevents tears from leaving the eyes. As new tears enter the eyes, overflowing occurs. That often means your child has tears consistently running onto their cheeks. In many children, the blockage opens naturally. If this has not occurred by 6-12 months of age, an examination with a pediatric eye doctor can determine if surgery is needed.
While these conditions are common, it is important to diagnose them early to begin corrective treatment as soon as possible. The team at Associated Eye Care will work with you and your child to protect their eyes and ensure a lifetime of healthy vision.
Schedule online with Dr Engelbart, Dr Hickson, Dr Lynch, or Dr Schloff.
When treating strabismus, the goal of the ophthalmologists at Associated Eye Care is to improve eye alignment. Doing this allows for the eyes to work together more effectively.
Treating strabismus may include using eye glasses, wearing an eye patch, doing special eye exercises, or undergoing eye muscle surgery if necessary.
Strabismus surgery helps loosen or tighten eye muscles to improve alignment. Patients undergoing strabismus surgery are put to sleep by an anesthesia provider for the entirety of the procedure.
A small incision is made on the conjunctiva (transparent skin over the white part of the eye), and the surgeon carefully adjusts the position of the muscles. The incision is then closed with stitches that dissolve on their own.
During the procedure, the eyeball is never removed. Most children recover quickly from this common pediatric procedure and can resume the majority of their normal activities within a few days.
Schedule online with Dr Engelbart, Dr Hickson, Dr Lynch, or Dr Schloff.
Schedule an AppointmentIt’s one thing to understand eyes inside and out and to skillfully diagnose and appropriately treat eye disorders or diseases. It’s something quite different to understand from a child’s perspective how vision problems can affect the ability to run, play and read. So beyond the eyes, we also work to understand the heart that pushes and the mind that motivates; to find what really makes the child tick, to see how helping eyes will help all that, too.
At Associated Eye Care, our pediatric specialists, Dr. Kelsey Engelbart, Dr. Ann Hickson, Dr. Jeffrey Lynch and Dr. Susan Schloff have devoted their professional careers to caring for children. They understand how to overcome a child’s fear of “going to the doctor,” take the time to ask questions and really listen so they can provide the best treatment.
Our providers also understand the importance of catching vision problems early, before they begin to affect schoolwork and other activities. Our pediatric doctors understand how precious a child’s sight is and are committed to providing the very best care.
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