Taking care of your child’s eyes

aking care of children’s eyes is very important because vision is one of the most important stages of their development. Regular eye exams are very important because many diseases and problems related to vision can be solved if treated early.

Eye Examinations

• Newborns should have their vision tested by a pediatrician or the pediatric department in the maternity hospital.

   

  Premature infants and those born with noticeable eye problems should be examined by an ophthalmologist.

• During the first year of life, the pediatrician examines the child’s vision regularly.

   

• At the age of 3.5 years, the child undergoes a visual acuity test by the pediatrician.

• At the age of 5, children’s vision and eye alignment should be examined by the pediatrician. If a problem is found, they are referred to an ophthalmologist.

• After the age of 5, the examination is done either at school, in an ophthalmologist’s clinic, or after symptoms like squinting or frequent headaches appear.

• Children who wear glasses should follow up with an ophthalmologist annually

Symptoms of eye problems

• Frequent eye rubbing.

• Sensitivity to strong light.

• Inability to concentrate.

• Inability to follow visually.

• Abnormal alignment or eye movement (after 6 months of age).
• Chronic redness of the eyes.
• Chronic watery eyes.
• White pupil instead of black..

In school-age children, these are some additional signs:

• Inability to see objects at a distance.
• Inability to read the blackboard.
• Squinting and blinking.
• Difficulty in reading.
• Sitting very close to the television.

Eye Problems

• appear normal. Two common causes are strabismic eyes or differences in refractive errors between the eyes. If untreated, it can lead to irreversible vision loss in the affected eye (as the brain gradually learns to ignore signals from that eye). The best treatment for strabismus is during the preschool years.

   

• Eye misalignment – A misalignment in the eyes may present as inward, outward, upward, or downward strabismus. Chronic eye deviation may also develop into a lazy eye in the affected eye. With early detection, vision can be restored by properly realigning the eyes, forcing them to function correctly. Surgery or specially designed glasses can also help realign the eyes.

   

• Refractive errors – This means that the shape of the eye does not bend or refract light properly, resulting in blurry images. Refractive errors can cause lazy eye or strabismus. Nearsightedness is the most common refractive error in school-age children, while others include farsightedness and astigmatism:

• Nearsightedness is difficulty seeing distant objects, which is usually managed with glasses or contact lenses.

   

• Farsightedness is difficulty seeing close objects, which is usually managed with glasses or contact lenses.

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  Astigmatism is an irregular curvature of the front surface of the eye, which is usually managed with glasses if it causes blurred vision or discomfort.