Pediatric Ophthalmology at UPMC
UPMC offers pediatric ophthalmology services for the care of children's vision, for the diagnosis and treatment of any eye conditions.
Carrying out eye examinations during childhood is very important, because it is at this stage that the first vision problems can be found. If these are diagnosed early, they can often be resolved in time to ensure correct vision during growth.
Book a Pediatric Ophthalmology Visit
At UPMC, we offer pediatric ophthalmology services at the following facilities:
Pediatric Ophthalmology Services
- Newborn screening.
- Orthoptic examination and pediatric ophthalmology.
- Diagnostic tests.
- Surgeries.
Pathologies Treated
- Amblyopia: The visual function of an eye is reduced or absent, so the unused eye becomes "amblyopic" or lazy. It can be caused by eye disorders such as astigmatism, hyperopia, strabismus, congenital cataracts.
- Strabismus: The visual axes of the two eyes are not aligned. This condition can be hereditary or due to ocular abnormalities.
- Congenital ptosis: One or both upper eyelids are lower than normal and the space between the lower and upper eyelids is reduced. This happens if the elevator muscle of the upper eyelid has not had a normal embryonic development and is, partially or totally, replaced by adipose and connective tissue.
- Congenital glaucoma: It may affect one or both eyes. It involves swelling and corneal blurring, increased intraocular pressure, and excavation of the optic nerve papilla. As the pathology progresses, the corneal diameter increases and the sclera takes on a bluish coloration.
- Congenital cataracts: It consists in the clouding of the lens, which partially stops the passage of light rays. These, diverted in several directions, prevent normal focusing on the retina
- Coloboma: It can involve the iris, retina, and optic nerve. In the child is the external manifestation of the failure to close the fetal fissure.
- Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP): It is bilateral pathology from impaired retinal vascularization that occurs in premature babies. The onset of the disease usually manifests itself at 32-34 weeks of gestation. The outcome can vary, reaching in the most severe cases to blindness.
- Retinoblastoma: It is a malignant eye tumor that affects the retina, most frequently in pediatric age. It can develop in only one or both eyes. It is caused by a mutation in the Retinoblastoma gene (RB) that involves the uncontrolled proliferation of cells and the development of the tumor inside the eye.
Pediatric Ophthalmology Visit: When to Request it
It is advisable to contact a specialist if particular behaviors such as the below present:
- Squint when looking far away.
- Closing one eye when looking at the light.
- Tilt or rotation of the head.
- Discomfort from bright light or frequent rubbing of the eyes.
- Reddening.
- Lachrymation.
Who Can Receive Our Services
The pediatric eye examination can be done at any age, even after a few days of life and in particular in the following cases:
- Newborns, to carry out a newborn screening within three months of life.
- Children between six and nine months, as a further specialist control on the occasion of the poliomelitic vaccine-prophylaxis.
- Children between two and three years, for the search for any refractive defects (myopia, astigmatism, hyperopia), alterations in ocular motility (strabismus, eye syndromes, nystagmus) and amblyopia.
Our Doctors
We offer medical services and services on a private basis or in agreement with the main insurance companies. Some of our services are also affiliated with the National Health System.
For more information on active agreements, visit: