There are a variety of treatments for children who are diagnosed with eye problems. In many cases, children will require glasses or contact lenses to treat their visual disorder. Plastic frames should be used when glasses are prescribed for children younger than age 2, and an elastic strap may be used to help keep the glasses in place in very young children. Older children can wear metal frames.

Children with significant eye problems may benefit from high-index lenses, which are thinner and lighter than plastic lenses. Polycarbonate lenses are often recommended for young children because they are more durable than plastic lenses. However, they also scratch more easily than plastic lenses.

As children grow older (usually sometime after age 10), they may request to wear contact lenses for either cosmetic purposes or because they participate in certain sports. These lenses must be cleaned regularly to prevent eye infections. Parents are urged to consider their child’s maturity level when debating about whether to allow contact lenses to be worn.

Other forms of eye problems can be treated with medication. For example, a scratched cornea is treated with medicated eyedrops and usually heals within a couple of weeks. Eyedrops and ointments are used to treat amblyopia and strabismus.

Finally, some eye problems require surgery. Babies born with infantile cataracts will need to have them surgically removed and may have to wear contact lenses thereafter. Surgery also is sometimes used to treat amblyopia and strabismus if other techniques fail. In adults, refractive errors of myopia and hyperopia may be treated with laser surgery. However, for children this option is usually not acceptable until the refractive level of the eyes stabilize, which may not occur until adulthood.

Other techniques include treating strabismus and amblyopia by having the child wear an eye patch on a healthy eye to force a correction in the misaligned eye.

If a child has an eye problem related to allergies, prescription or over-the-counter medications may be used to treat the child. Often, eye symptoms can best be addressed by treatments that prevent or soothe allergic reactions.  If medications and avoidance do not alleviate eye-related symptoms, allergy shots (immunotherapy) may be considered. Allergy shots are a form of allergy and asthma treatment in which low doses of an allergen are injected into a patient over a period of time. The goal is to increase the patient’s tolerance to the allergen while reducing symptoms brought on by an allergic reaction. 

Eye injuries may or may not require medical attention, depending on the severity of the injury. If a foreign object enters a child’s eye, it often can be cleaned out by flushing the eye with water or a sterile saline solution. Parents should wash their hands thoroughly before touching the eyelid. The eye itself should not be directly touched, pressed or rubbed. The eye can be flushed for up to 15 minutes. A medical professional should be consulted if the object does not dislodge from the eye.

Black eyes caused by an injury can be treated with cold compresses that are applied in alternating cycles of five to 10 minutes on followed by 10 to 15 minutes off. If children experience pain, they should be given acetaminophen. Aspirin and ibuprofen can increase bleeding, worsening the situation. Medical attention should be sought for a child’s black eye if the eye becomes increasingly red or begins to drain. Changes in eyeball appearance, changes in vision, persistent eye pain and visible bleeding all require treatment.  

If an object becomes embedded in the eye or the eye is exposed to a chemical, emergency care should be sought.