Introduction
Do you know one in ten children have eye problems that are significant enough to affect their learning?
Most of us who have healthy eyesight are extremely casual about our vision, often without being conscious that we are actually so lucky. We depend heavily on our eyes, and yet we rarely give them a second thought.
So many times, we take things like eyesight for granted because it’s so natural. We wake up and we see, we wake up and we walk. It’s just so natural for us.
As a parent, you always want your child to be healthy so that they can grow well and thrive. A strong vision helps your child in so many ways throughout their life in terms of:
- Focus on the schoolwork
- Powerful hand-eye coordination
- Boosts your child’s confidence
- Better driving skills
- Improved athletic performance
- Improved reading comprehension
- Better quality of life, and so on.
We all know that 80% of learning happens via vision. The eye specialists also suggest that annual eye tests should be conducted for kindergarten or preschool-age children because strong eyesight is critical for them at this period of age.
It’s the phase for children to develop important milestones, however, poor vision can be an obstacle. Moreover, poor eyesight can also lead to frustration in the lives of children, parents, or tutors.
That is why it is recommended by ophthalmologists to carefully screen your child’s eyes at multiple events to prevent vision issues or vision loss.
So, below we have mentioned some of the common eye problems that occur in children and how they can be prevented.
Pink eye or Conjunctivitis
A very common eye condition in which the white part of one or both eyes gets reddish because of an eye infection, allergy, irritation, or any foreign objects entering the eye.
Conjunctivitis is a contagious disease that causes irritation or itchiness in the eyes and discharges sticky fluids.
Usually, it goes away using eye drops, medications, and ointments, or can be treated with lubricating eye drops.
Lazy eye or Amblyopia
As the name lazy eye suggests, the eyes behave lethargically. Amblyopia or lazy eye is a medical condition in which the brain fails to signal inputs from one eye and eventually starts ignoring the inputs.
This obstruction in the visual development of the lazy eye results in long-term vision problems. Some common symptoms are winking, eye wandering, poor depth perception, and head tilting, to name a few.
This common eye condition can be treated using eyeglasses, eye patches, and eye drops. If symptoms get worse, a paediatric eye specialist can also recommend surgery.
Chalazion
A slow-growing, inflammatory lump on the upper or lower tear gland of the eyelid is caused by an obstruction or swelling of an oil gland.
In the initial stage, this eye problem is painless, however, if it becomes severe, the swelling may spread to the whole eyelid and that gets painful. This lump or swelling can get as big as it can also cover the child’s pupil which can further affect the vision.
If Chalazions are small, they usually don’t require any treatment and go away on their own but if these inflammatory lumps are large or infected, they need to be treated using warm compresses, eye drops, and in some cases, surgical drainage or removal of the lumps.
Blurred vision
Astigmatism
One of the most common causes of blurred vision is astigmatism which is caused by an imperfection in the eye’s curvature.
In this condition, the vision becomes blurry at all distances.
It is a refractive error that prevents light from being properly focused on the retina and thus causes blurred vision.
The condition can be treated with timely diagnosis and using prescribed eyeglasses or lenses.
Farsightedness or Hyperopia
Another cause of blurred vision is farsightedness in which a child gets poor near vision. Hyperopia is also a refraction problem of the eye that does not allow the retina to perfectly focus on the light and hence causes blurred vision.
The condition can be treated with timely diagnosis and using prescribed eyeglasses or lenses.
Nearsightedness or Myopia
Myopia is a refractive eye condition that causes poor distance vision. The eyesight is affected as the shape of the eye doesn’t allow proper focusing on the retina and as a result, leads to blurred vision.
The condition can be treated with timely diagnosis and using prescribed eyeglasses or lenses.
A condition called retinopathy which causes vision impairment can develop even in premature babies.
In addition to all these blurred vision problems, there are other eye diseases that can affect infants or children involving:
- Congenital glaucoma
- Infantile cataracts
- Genetic eye disease
- Metabolic eye disease, and so on.
Crossed eye or Strabismus
A medical condition in which the eyes don’t align properly in one direction while looking or focusing on an object. In other words, the eyes focus in different directions. This eye disease can be genetic or can develop during childhood.
It is believed that if strabismus persists for a long, it turns into Amblyopia. So before it gets worse, visit an ophthalmologist who will recommend eye patches, eyeglasses, or some exercises to treat the condition at an early phase.
Watery eyes or Epiphora
A very common eye condition that causes excessive tearing constantly due to obstruction of the tear ducts, ocular surface diseases, foreign objects or injuries, infections, and allergies.
If it is mild, it can be improved within a few months by cleaning the eyes with a gentle stream of water, and using effective medications, drops, or ointments.
In severe cases, Epiphora can be treated with gentle massage, eye drops, or minor surgery can be performed.
Paediatric cataracts or Cloudy lens
A cataract is an eye disease in which the normal, clear lens of the eyes becomes cloudy and thus causes blurred or poor vision.
Although cataracts is a common eye condition in adults, it can affect children too. In fact, some children are born with it.
We can also say it is one of the most severe causes of childhood blindness. That is why early diagnosis or treatment should be necessary.
It is advisable to consult a paediatric eye specialist who will suggest treatment depending on the stage and severity of the infection. However, most cases require surgery to treat cataracts.
Final thoughts
A child might not know when or why his or her eyes are affected.
But you as an adult can watch out for the symptoms and should be vigilant for the eye health of your children. Because untreated eye problems can lead to long-term vision problems or vision loss.
Above we have mentioned some common eye problems that you should keep in mind during your child’s growing up years.
At any point, if you see these symptoms, the first and surest step to take care of your child’s eye health is to opt for regular eye screening so that you can have a careful insight into your child’s eye problems at an early stage and take proper treatment measures on time.
Don’t wait until you notice your child squinting, rubbing their eyes frequently, or struggling to read comprehension or see the classroom board, to take them to the eye specialists. Schedule routine eye exam tests to take prophylactic care at the earliest possible to avoid bigger vision problems in the near future.
