A genetic disease . As children grow, some of the most common vision problems seen by parents are crossed eyes , cataracts and nearsightedness . Farsightedness, nearsightedness, astigmatism and cataracts can also result in amblyopia. In amblyopia, the strong eye becomes dominant and maintains good vision while the weak eye fails to develop a clear visual image. An infant and toddler up to age 3 is at greatest risk, but amblyopia can occur up to age 9 when full visual stability has been achieved.
Cataracts are dense, cloudy areas in the lens of a child's eye.
When cataracts block out parts of the lens, the child's lens cannot focus images clearly on the retina, and this causes vision problems. Cataracts are often seen in children who are victims of child abuse. Steroid medicines can also cause cataracts. So can certain metabolic diseases . In nearsightedness , also called myopia , a child has problems seeing objects that are far away.