Pediatric Opthalmology
Vision correction for children
Pediatric ophthalmology includes eye related diseases in children. Since the visual system is in a developing phase in childhood, it is important that any eye disorder in children be identified and rectified as early as possible for complete development of vision.
Common eye diseases in children
Children require special attention to diagnose and treat various eye diseases. It is important to treat these conditions at an early stage to prevent amblyopia (lazy eye).
Common Eye Diseases Noted in Children
- Refractive Error
- Allergic eye disease
- Congenital/ juvenile cataract
- Squint
- Retinopathy of Prematurity
- Amblyopia therapy
Refractive Error
A major cause of treatable blindness world wide. Refractive error is a condition where the eye cannot focus clear images from the outside world. This causes blurred vision and in some cases it can be so severe that it causes visual impairment. Types of refractive error:
- Myopia (short sighted) far away objects are not seen clearly
- Hypermetropia (long sighted) close by objects are not seen clearly
- Astigmatism distorted vision due to irregularly curved cornea
It can be easily treated by corrective glasses/ contact lenses or Laser surgery.
Causes
- Uncorrected refractive error
- Congenital/ juvenile cataract
- Other congenital ocular pathology – ROP, Corneal dystrophy, infections, glaucoma etc.
Amblyopia Therapy
Treatment
- Treatment of ocular pathology
- Vision correction by glasses or surgery
- Patch therapy
- Vision therapy
Amblyopia (lazy eye) is reduced vision due to abnormal visual development, more often seen in one eye. It develops generally from birth to 7 years of age. It occurs when there is undetected difference in visual disturbance between the two eyes. The weaker eye if not treated timely, can develop amblyopia.
Squint
Squint also known as strabismus, is a condition where eyes point in different directions. It is particularly common in young children but can occur at any age.
Causes
- Uncorrected Refractive errors
- Amblyopia
- Nerve palsies
- Convergence insufficiency
Treatment
- Correct the refractive error with glasses, contact lenses
- Eye exercises – eye exercises for the muscles that control the eye movements can help sometimes to improve the eye movements
- Surgery –This involves realignment of eye muscles that control the movements, thereby correcting the deviation
Esotropia - where the eye moves inward
Exotropia - where the eye moves outward
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