More and more children are affected by eye problems. A decade ago only a few of the primary school children were dependent on glasses for vision correction. Nowadays children as young as nursery school goers are wearing glasses. While there are a number of reasons including exposure to excessive screen time from a young age, what is important is to identify the problems to take corrective measures. Eye problems when ignored may cause serious vision loss over a period of time.
Signs to look for in children
Children with eye problems exhibit certain symptoms. Common symptoms include
- Eye rubbing
- Light sensitivity
- Poor focusing
- Inability to track moving objects
- Redness and tearing of eyes
- White pupil
- Inability to see the blackboard and distant objects
- Squinting
- Difficulty reading
- Sitting too close to TV
Common eye problems to look out for.
Lazy Eye Syndrome (Amblyopia) is poor vision in one eye. This may be caused by squint or difference in refractive errors between the eyes. This could lead to irreversible vision loss if left untreated as the brain gradually ignores the signals from that weak eye.
Strabismus is caused when the eyes are not aligned correctly. The eyes may turn in/ out/ up or down. If it is chronic then this can lead to amblyopia and vision loss.
Refractive errors are caused when the shape of the eye does not allow perfect focusing on the retina leading to blurred vision. Myopia or nearsightedness is poor distance vision. Hyperopia or farsightedness is poor near vision. Astigmatism is caused by imperfect curvature of the surface of the eye. These refractive errors can be treated with glasses or contact lenses.
In addition to these problems premature babies may develop retinopathy of prematurity. Infantile cataracts, congenital glaucoma and genetic or metabolic eye disease are some of the other diseases that affect infants and children.
Regular eye check up is the solution.
A child may not know when his/her vision is affected. Adults should be vigilant and watch out for symptoms. A regular eye checkup is the surest way to detect eye problems and take corrective measures early.
For any queries regarding paediatric eye problems contact 044 2811 1937, +91 98405 49585