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Refractive Errors in Childhood

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Albert and Jakobiec's Principles and Practice of Ophthalmology

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Abstract

The eye is a living optical system, the components of which change throughout life. This optical system focuses images of objects on the retina, which are then transmitted to the visual cortex of the brain to be interpreted as vision. If the optics of the system are flawed, as in errors of refraction, the image is blurred. Symptoms of poor vision and asthenopia result, and in childhood, amblyopia can also occur, making refractive errors in childhood more complex than in adult patients. In addition, children may not be able to participate fully in the examination, leaving diagnosis and treatment up to the objective measurements and experience of the examiner. This chapter will deal with how the eye refracts light to produce images on the retina, the most common errors of refraction in childhood, and how to evaluate and manage these errors, including philosophies of treatment for different age groups and different magnitudes and types of refractive error. In addition, special types of refractive errors which require further work-up will be discussed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA

    Arlene V. Drack

  2. Ophthalmology, Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, RI, USA

    Melissa Simon

Authors
  1. Arlene V. Drack
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  2. Melissa Simon
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Correspondence to Arlene V. Drack .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Oregon Health & Science University Department of Ophthalmology, Portland, OR, USA

    Daniel Albert

  2. Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, USA

    Joan Miller

  3. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Illinois at Chicago Department of Ophthalmology, Chicago, IL, USA

    Dimitri Azar

  4. Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Lucy H. Young

Section Editor information

  1. No affiliation provided

    Michael Chiang

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Drack, A.V., Simon, M. (2020). Refractive Errors in Childhood. In: Albert, D., Miller, J., Azar, D., Young, L.H. (eds) Albert and Jakobiec's Principles and Practice of Ophthalmology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90495-5_271-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90495-5_271-1

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