Eye Birthmarks-May Impede Your Eyesight

Eye birthmarks are usually the type of birthmark that does not cause any actual medical problems, like cancer or anything like that. What can and commonly does happen is the capillaries become engorged with blood and the birthmark grows and may impede the eyesight of the person with the birthmark.

This type of birthmark is called a hemangioma and they can form on any part of the body including any internal organ. The internal organ hemangiomas are the most dangerous because they can rupture at any time.

Internal bleeding is a big deal, especially if you do not know it is happening. Special care is to be taken and frequent monitoring of the internal hemangioma is needed to keep an eye on it. Surgical repair may be in order if the area gets big enough.

If the eye birthmarks, which are also called vascular birthmarks, form more on the eyelid especially in your child's eye then the birthmark may cause your child to have a limited field of vision.

Treatment of the birthmark is also limited and depends on how bad the birthmark is.

Have the doctor perform a vision test to see if the birthmark actually does impede the vision of your child.

If your child is still an infant there is a special test that measures the responses of your baby's brain to detect vision loss.

If the birthmark is found to impede your child's vision, your doctor may suggest fairly aggressive treatment although the first thing anyone should suggest is to just watch it and see what it does.

Most of these types of birthmarks resolve themselves in a few days to weeks after birth. Some may take longer it just depends on how big it is to begin with.

Frequently, your doctor will prescribe a corticosteroid for oral or injectable treatment to help shrink the hemangioma on the eyelid.

Some other medications may work to inhibit the blood supply to the area, therefore inhibiting the growth of the hemangioma and therefore reducing the chance that it will cause any kind of deformity in the eyelid or cause further loss of vision.

If laser treatment is suggested by your doctor then make sure to ask the questions regarding any discomfort that goes along with the treatment, how many treatments will be needed.

Your doctor may not know the answer to this one and you also need to find out if your insurance carrier will approve the treatment.

This may be considered a cosmetic procedure and not be covered at all. In this case it might be better if the hemangioma does cause a vision difficulty so the insurance company will cover it.

Surgery is also a viable option for eye birthmarks removal. Again, depending on the size and the severity of the birthmark.

If the birthmark prevents the eye from opening at all, or the vision tests show that the child's sight is severely impaired then surgery is probably the best option.

And do not worry if scarring is a result then the scars can be treated with lasers at a later date to reduce them. Of course, children's scars will diminish in time, also.

You can learn more here in our online guide to Eye problems and defective vision

This guide page also has links to other sections covering specific eye health issues like Glaucoma, Cataract and Conjunctivitis.

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