About The Vision Development Institute

The Vision Development Institute in the Vision Center at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is one of the few institutes nationwide to apply functional magnetic resonance imaging techniques to the study of common childhood disorders of visual development. We are particularly interested in interactions between both eyes at the level of the brain’s visual areas in such conditions as strabismus (eye misalignment), which prevent the eyes from being used together normally.

Another major focus is the fascinating problem of early childhood farsightedness, which causes much of the eye crossing seen in young children. There currently is no consensus on how to treat this condition. The Vision Development Institute is conducting the first-ever clinical trial in the United States to determine whether early glasses correction can prevent farsightedness in infants and toddlers. At the same time, we are studying focusing behavior in infants and toddlers, with and without farsightedness, to gain a better understanding of how to recognize which children are most at risk for future problems.

The Vision Development Institute is part of the Vision Center at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, one of the hospital’s Centers of Excellence. Other components of the Vision Center are:

• the Retina Institute
• the Cornea Institute
• the Eye Birth Defects Institute
• the Orbit & Eye Movement Institute
• the Eye Technology Institute