Pediatric ophthalmology

Eye problems in children

Most important eye problems in children are:

• Refractive errors: Defective vision or need for glasses must be detected early. This has been discussed in Lasik and….( link) Children don’t usually complain of poor vision, so every school going child needs an eye check up 3 to 4 yrs of age and then an yearly check-up.
• Squint: Squint or strabismus is a condition in which eyes are aligned differently and do not move together. Squint is not an only cosmetic but also a functional problem. It can be treated by glasses, prisms, eye exercises or surgery depending on the type of squint. Treatment shoud be started as early as possible.
• Amblyopia: This is the condition of poor vision in on or both eyes which can’t be corrected fully even with glasses. It is very import to detect this early for proper treatment and recovery. It can be dude to various causes like squint, refractive error etc.
• Retinopathy of prematurity: Infants born prematurely are at risk of developing this disorder.
• Pediatric cataracts: They may be present since birth or develop later.

Besides, children can develop other eye problems like Allergic and Infectious conjunctivitis, Squamousblepharitis, Dry eyes, Nasolacrimal duct obstruction etc.

A child needs to be examined when he shows following symptoms:

• Difficulty in seeing the blackboard in school
• Frequent blinking or eye rubbing
• Squinting of eyes
• Viewing object like television from very near