How does a coloboma affect my child’s body?

How does a coloboma affect my child’s body?

How much a coloboma affects your child depends on where it's located in their eye. Colobomas can develop in one eye (unilateral coloboma) or both eyes (bilateral coloboma). Bilateral colobomas might affect different parts of the eyes.

Colobomas can develop in almost any part of your child’s eye, including their:

• Iris.
• Retina.
• Optic nerve.
• Macula.
• Ciliary body.
• Eyelid.

Some colobomas won’t impact your child’s vision. Others cause total blindness in the affected eye. If your child has a coloboma on their retina, macula or optic nerve they might have some vision, but it might be impaired.

You might not notice a coloboma affecting your child’s vision right away, especially while they’re very young.

People with colobomas might be more likely to have other issues with their eyes later in life, including:

• Cataracts.
• Glaucoma.
• Retinal detachment.