Pediatric Ophthalmology

Dr. Denise Chamblee and Dr. Patrick Burke are experts in eye muscle surgery and the treatment of amblyopia, two of the most common conditions that affect children.

Eye Muscle Surgery

Misalignment of the eyes, known as strabismus, is a common problem in childhood. Strabismus is recognized by noticing crossing or drifting out of one or both eyes. The drifting may be constant or intermittent. It is normal for the eyes of infants up to four months of age to cross or drift out. However, after this time, eyes should be straight at all times. If you see drifting of the eyes after four months of age, bring this to the attention of your doctor.

Eye muscle surgery is used to weaken, strengthen, or reposition any of the small muscles located on the surface of the eye that move the eyeball in all directions. The main purpose of eye muscle surgery is to restore straight eye alignment, so that both eyes are aligned and gaze in the same direction.

Eye muscle surgery is usually done on children, but Dr. Chamblee also performs the surgery on adults who have similar eye problems due to various neurological or vascular conditions. Treating adults with strabismus can eliminate double vision, improve depth perception, and expand the field of vision.

Amblyopia

Amblyopia is vision loss related to improper development of the visual pathways in young children. Treatment for amblyopia involves glasses and/or patching of the dominant eye so that the weaker eye is forced to develop. Amblyopic eyes are typically completely anatomically normal; the problem lies within the portions of the brain responsible for processing visual information. Early treatment is essential.