Pediatric ophthalmologists in Denver

Early detection and treatment are important when caring for your child’s eye disorder. The board-certified pediatric ophthalmologists at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children (RMHC) in Denver will work with you and your child to create a treatment plan to help ensure the health of your child’s eyes.

For more information, or to schedule an eye appointment, please call (877) 752-2737.

Our team is specially trained in ophthalmology and pediatric care, allowing us to offer the best treatment to your child while minimizing the discomfort and anxiety that can come with visiting with physicians and other medical staff.

Find a Pediatric Ophthalmologist

Pediatric eye conditions we treat

Our pediatric ophthalmologists in Denver provide eye care for a wide range of disorders and conditions, including:

  • Blepharitis (eyelid inflammation)
  • Blocked tear duct (dacryostenosis)
  • Blood in the eye (hyphema)
  • Bruising or black eye (ecchymosis)
  • Cataracts (cloudy lenses)
  • Cellulitis (eye infection)
  • Chalazion (inflammatory lump in the tear gland of the eyelid)
  • Chemical burns of the eye
  • Conjunctivitis in newborns and children (pink eye)
  • Corneal abrasions (scratched eye)
  • Crossed-eyes (strabismus)
  • Eyelid lacerations (cuts)
  • Foreign bodies in the eye
  • Fractures of the orbit (broken bones around the eyeball)
  • Glaucoma (a group of eye conditions that can lead to vision loss)
  • Hordeolum (painful bump near the edge of the eyelid; can resemble a boil or pimple)
  • Keratitis (inflammation of clear tissue near the cornea)
  • Refractive errors, such as astigmatism, hyperopia (farsightedness), myopia (nearsightedness)
  • Retinoblastoma (a form of eye cancer commonly found in children)
  • Retinopathy of prematurity (abnormal retinal blood vessel development)
  • Stye (hordeolum)

Pediatric eye exams

A child’s vision develops up until eight or nine years old. After that age, there are fewer options to change the child’s vision development. This is why regular eye exams for children are critical to maintaining healthy eyes. Eye exams are often one of the only ways to know whether there is an issue with your child’s sight.

Failed eye exams could also be a result of less common issues in children, such as cataracts, glaucoma or even a tumor in the eye or brain. If left untreated, these issues could lead to serious eye problems.

Whether your child has an eye infection or is cross-eyed, getting the proper treatment in a timely manner could help prevent childhood vision loss.

Signs of an eye problem in children

Sometimes, your child’s vision troubles can be readily fixed with a pair of glasses. However, in other cases, your child may need additional care. One sign your child may need to see a Denver eye care specialist is if he or she fails a school eye exam. Other signs your child may be experiencing vision problems include:

  • Eye rubbing or blinking
  • Frequent headaches
  • Holding books or other reading objects close to the face
  • Frequently losing his or her place while reading
  • Difficulty remembering what he or she just read
  • Complaints of seeing double

When children get the vision correction they need, not only are they able to see better, but they also experience improvements in reading, learning, self-esteem, sports and much more.

Pediatric eye care treatments

Once your RMHC pediatric ophthalmologist has provided a diagnosis, a treatment plan will be created that considers your child’s condition, age, tolerance of treatments and your preferences. The plan may include one or more of the following eye treatments:

  • Having your child wash hands frequently and face daily
  • Having your child avoid rubbing the eyes
  • Antibiotic ointments for the eyes
  • Blind or decreased vision adaptation training
  • Bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation
  • Chemotherapy or radiation therapy for eye cancer
  • Cryotherapy (a freezing process)
  • Glasses or contact lenses
  • Eye exercises
  • Eye patch over a strong eye to improve a weak eye
  • Laser therapy or photocoagulation (to create small scars to prevent retinal detachment)
  • Massaging (or “milking”) a blocked tear duct several times a day
  • Medications, such as antibiotics
  • Thermal therapy
  • Surgery
    • Enucleation (surgical removal of the eye or eyes used for an eye tumor)
    • Trabeculotomy and goniotomy (creating a surgical opening into the drainage area of the eye
    • to allow fluid to drain more freely)
    • Trabeculectomy (removing part of the drainage system of the eye to allow fluid to drain
    • more easily)
    • Iridotomy  (creating a small hole through the iris to allow fluid to flow more easily)
    • Cyclophotocoagulation (using a laser beam to freeze selected areas of the eye and reduce   the production of fluid)