Pediatric Eye Health

A child’s brain figures out how to utilize eyes to see, much the same as it figures out how to utilize legs to walk or a mouth to frame words. Comprehensive eye tests are essential in the conclusion and treatment of vision issues, injury, and disease. Many visual disorders of childhood are silent, regular eye checkups are therefore warranted for early detection of such disorders. Early detection allows for treatment to begin before the child experiences difficulty in school due to poor vision, or before any permanent damage has been done to the eyes.

Preschool children should receive at least one comprehensive eye exam between the ages of 3 and 5 to prevent or diagnose any condition that may have long team effects.

Common eye problems in pediatrics:-

• Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)

• Congenital cataract

• Congenital glaucoma

• Squint

• Refractive error

• Allergic conjunctivitis

• Ocular tumor- Retinoblastoma (RB)

• Ocular infection

• Ocular trauma

Although major issues are not common at this age, early detection and treatment are vital and can give the best chance to improve any problem.

The biggest problem is kids don't say anything because they don’t know what their vision is supposed to look like. And also if only one eye has blurry vision, the other eye compensates and children never realize that they have any vision problem or disorder. So parents can’t wait for their children to tell them that there is a problem with their vision.

Here are some indicators that your child is having a poor vision:-

• Trouble seeing the blackboard

• Jerky eye movement

• Frequently blinking/watering

• Squinting

• Rubbing/Redness

• Tilting the head to one side

• Holding reading materials close to the face

• Sits very close to the TV

• Difficulty in hand-eye coordination while playing

• Headaches or eye pain

• Covering one eye

Don’t wait until you notice your kids squinting, frequently rubbing their eyes, or struggling to see the board take them to the eye specialist. Scheduling routine eye tests for children is crucial to preventative care and a great way to stay away from bigger vision issues later on.

Myths about pediatric eye care:-

• Squint in small children will go away on its own.

• Childhood myopia usually goes away as you age.

• Eating carrots can improve vision.

• My child will speak out if he has difficulties in vision.

Eye Safety & The Risk Factors of Vision Problems in Children:-

Eye safety is just as important as eye health. Each year thousands of children sustain an eye injury. Ninety percent of these injuries can be prevented by wearing protective eyewear. Some other ways to protect your child are as follows:

• Purchase toys that meet safety standards.

• Avoid purchasing projectile toys such as darts, bows and arrows and pellet guns.

• Keep all chemicals and sprays out of the reach of small children. Put locks on all cabinets and drawers that children can reach.

• Do not allow children anywhere near fireworks.

• Use security entryways at the top and base of steps.

It is important to have children’s eyes examined by an Eye Specialist to ensure normal vision development. It is equally important to provide safe toys, environments, and always have adult supervision to protect them from harm.

The blog is written by the Ophthalmic Assistant Mr. Abhishek and Moderated by Ophthalmologist Dr. Anuradha Totey. Both are the part of Deesha Eye Banks.