children s health issues
Eye Defects
Diagnosis of Eye Defects
Before birth, ultrasonography of the fetus and sometimes a blood test After birth, physical examination of the newborn Genetic testing Before birth, doctors may be able to identify some eye defects during an Ultrasonography and sometimes by doing After birth, doctors can identify many eye defects during a physical examination. Because abnormal genes may be involved in the formation of birth defects of the eye, affected babies should be evaluated by a geneticist. A geneticist is a doctor who specializes in genetics (the science of genes and how certain qualities or traits are passed from parents to offspring). Genetic testing of a sample of the baby's blood may be done to look for chromosome and gene abnormalities. This testing can help doctors determine whether a specific genetic disorder is the cause and rule out other causes. If there is a genetic disorder, families may benefit from genetic counseling. 