Autism and vision problems

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Autism and vision problems

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Children with autism have very short attention spans. And autistic children are in their own world. They don't relate outside that well. And so often it's thought that they don't see well because their vision kind of darts around. Their fixation moves quickly, and they don't really concentrate on one subject. They don't make eye contact that well. They're in their own world. So they're often thought to not see well. In my experience with many autistic children, their vision's usually quite good. But they don't have that concentration skill that we're used to. And so for us, we think, "Hey, they're not seeing well." I think the parents of autistic children need to know that so that they're not so frightened about the eyes. Now yes, I think an eye exam is an important part of it; let's make sure the eye exam's okay, because autistic kids can need glasses just like anybody else. So we need a baseline eye exam. But most cases, they're gonna have a normal vision.

View Kenneth Wright, MD's video on Autism and vision problems...

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Kenneth Wright, MD

Pediatric Ophthalmologist

A caring physician, Dr. Kenneth Wright is devoted to the health of children’s eyes. He is an internationally respected pediatric ophthalmologist, and is included in “The Best Doctors in America” and “Who’s Who in Medicine and Health Care.”  Dr. Wright is a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the USC Keck School of Medicine.  He has developed novel surgical techniques for pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus.  Dr. Wright received his medical degree from Boston University and fellowships in pediatric ophthalmology and adult strabismus at Johns-Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, and Children’s Hospital, Washington, DC.  Following his fellowships, he then accepted a full-time faculty member position at USC School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles where he served for 10 years.  He was later appointed Director of Pediatric Ophthalmology at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, before returning home to Los Angeles to establish a pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus center of excellence.  

Dr. Wright has authored of over 100 published scientific papers, seven textbooks including his renowned textbook, Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus and has lectured worldwide.  He founded the non-profit Wright Foundation with a mission to reduce blindness and suffering in children with eye disorders through research, education, and clinical care. He has established a pediatric eye clinic for underprivileged children.  Important to the Wright Center is the principle that patient care always comes first.  

An interesting personal note is that Dr. Wright’s youngest son developed crossed eyes as an infant requiring surgery and Dr. Wright operated on his own son.  The outcome was excellent and years later his son served in the United States Marine Corps as a top marksman.

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