Paediatric Ophthalmology

Deals with eye problems in children. Children may not complain if they do not see out of one or both eyes. Sometimes the only clue may be poor performance in school as well viewing the blackboard at a very close distance. Hence all children need regular eye checkups at the time of starting school and right through their school years. Of the many eye problems in children, the most important are refractive errors, squint and amblyopia. Adult patients suffering from squint and double vision are also examined and treated effectively.

Why a separate Paediatric Ophthalmology Clinic?

Because the type of eye diseases that affect children are unlike those affecting adults and treatment methods required for children are also quite different. Moreover, eye specialists for children are distinctive and trained especially for their treatment.
Many times children don’t complain if they have an eye problem as they don’t understand and many times parents do not take their complaints seriously as they think that the child is complaining for attention seeking.
Many parents feel that an eye examination can’t be done till the child learns to start reading.
But a pediatric ophthalmologist is trained to perform an objective examination of the child’s eye and detect any eye problem or refractive error even without any input from the child

When should I take my child for an eye check up?

Ideally a routine examination should be performed by a pediatrician when the child is born and then at least two routine eye examinations should be performed by a Pediatric Ophthalmologist first, when the child is around 2-3 years and the again at the age of 5 years before the child starts formal school

A child should go for an eye checkup if the following symptoms are noticeable

Crossed eyes.
Keeps object close to his eyes.
Not being able to see the blackboard at school.
Things looking blurry or funny.
Feeling an itching, burning or scratchy sensation in the eyes.
Injury to the eye.
One or both the parents wear glasses.

What are the Common Eye Diseases in children?

Refractive errors
Lazy eye disease
Eye injuries
Squinting of eyes
Watering from the eyes
Eye allergies

What is Lazy Eye Disease?

This is a common eye disease affecting nearly 5-10% of children. In this disease a child cannot see well from one or both eyes due to uncorrected refractive error or squint. Unfortunately, Lazy Eye Disease goes undetected as, children do not complain and parents do not realize it. Appropriate treatment at the correct time can restore good vision

What do I do if the child's eyes go red?

Do not put any eye drop especially the ones with Steroids.
Washing the eye with plenty of water will wash off any foreign body or allergic material.
Consult a Paediatric Ophthalmologist as soon as possible if the redness persists or if the eye is sore.

What are the treatment options for children who have refractive errors?

Wearing spectacles (glasses) is the most effective and safest treatment option in children.
Contact Lenses can be prescribed in children after the age of 12-13 years when they can handle them well and
laser correction (LASIK) can be done after the age of 18 years once the power in the eyes become constant.
Special glasses and medicines like Atropine 0.01% are found to be effective in retarding the progression of myopia (near sightedness).
There are also methods to reduce hypermetropia (far sightedness) by supporting the process called emmetropization.

How important is the Parent’s role in preparing the child for an eye exam?

Pay attention to your child's eyes and behavior
Call the doctor if you notice a problem or if your child complains and have your child's eyes checked at 6 months, 3 years and 5 years intervals and at least once between the ages of 7 and 18.
Correcting vision problems early is the best way to control your child's sight.
Unusual behavior can sometimes be a sign of an eye problem.

Watch your child for the following warning signals:

Closing one eye or turning or tilting the head to see the things.
Squinting to see things at a distance.
Not being able to see things you point out.
Consistently holding objects close to the face or sitting very close to the TV.
Blinking or rubbing one eye a lot.
Running into objects or falling down at night or in places that are not well lit.