A surprising study which was recently published is offering great news to parents. A new type of contact lens is said to be creating solutions for some eye problems that plague children. The contact lenses made especially for short-sighted persons work to correct or improve the condition while they sleep.

How the Contact Lenses Work

The i-GO Overnight Vision Correction lenses are unique in more ways than one. These contacts are made to be slept in. When used, the custom designed contact lenses apply pressure to the cornea. When this pressure is exerted, light is then streamed to the back of the retina the way it should be in healthy eyes. The jelly-like elasticity of the cornea will then keep the shape for up to 36 hours.

In effect, wearing the lenses according to the report makes it unnecessary to have surgery to correct shortsightedness in most cases. Plus, over time the wearer will not need to use contacts or glasses during the day. This would be great for children, especially those who participate in sporting activities.

Why i-GO Works Best for Children

The belief is that since children are young and their eyes are technically still soft and changing the contacts work like braces. Over time this can actually correct or slow the process that leads to shortsightedness. Since the condition is caused by eyeballs becoming misshapen, the contact lenses technically force them back to the way the eyeballs are shaped in people with good vision.

Unlike adults where the cornea will generally go back to the original shape over a period of hours, the results are different for children. The corrected shape of the cornea seems to last, which is great news. This was revealed from the study, called SMART which was started two years ago. The study will run for five years.

A study of the contact lenses has found that there are definitely benefits especially for children after wearing them for at least one year. The lenses are a little more expensive than regular contacts, but seem to be worth the price based on results.

I’m sure many parents and those in the eye care industry are awaiting the completion of the study in 2013 to see just how lasting the results are.

Amongst children diagnosed with autism, around a third of their parents notice signs of autism before the child’s first birthday. But the condition usually goes undiagnosed for many years: the average age of diagnosis is over three.

Autistic children are widely believed to be born with the condition. Although various factors have been proposed that could give a child autism, most prominently the vaccine-autism controversy, most medical professionals believe that autism is something present at birth.

The earlier a child is diagnosed, the more effective treatment and therapy can be for the child, with an improvement in quality of life for the child and their family. So tests to diagnose the condition earlier could be very valuable.

Two classic symptoms of autism is repetitive behaviors, and intense interest in very specific things. Researchers studied a group of infants at high risk for autism and found that children later diagnosed with autism played with their toys in different ways. The children were more likely to repeatedly spin or rotate toys. They were also more likely to observe objects in unusual ways, like staring sideways at them, or watching them intently for long periods. Almost every child who was later diagnosed with autism exhibited these behaviors before their first birthday. The repetitive spinning and intense observations were rare in children not diagnosed with autism.

Infants and toddlers are known for repetitive behaviors. It’s normal for babies to try, try, and try again until they acquire a skill. Stacking and arranging objects is very common as babies learn motor skills and begin to realize that they can control their environment, and their determination to master the task is usually impressive. When combined with less focused tasks, and interest in many other things, It’s part of healthy infant development.

But as a parent, if you feel that there’s something not-quite-right, talk with your child’s pediatrician.