Posted on November 23, 2007 in Latest News
Your child can be prone to several eye conditions. Most are detected by a vision screening using an acuity chart during the preschool years.
Here are a list of few eye conditions whose knowledge will help you have a better understanding of your kids eyes.
1)Amblyopia (lazy eye) is poor vision in an eye that appears to be normal.
Causes: Two common causes are crossed eyes and a difference in the refractive error between the two eyes.
Treatment: This condition has to be treated it cannot be left unaided or it will lead to irreversible visual loss in the affected eye. (By then, the brain’s “programming” will ignore signals from that eye.)
Amblyopia is best treated during the preschool years.
2)Strabismus is a misalignment of the eyes; they may turn in, out, up, or down. If the same eye is chronically misaligned, amblyopia may develop in that eye.
Treatment: With early detection, vision can be restored in the misaligned eye.
Surgery or specially designed glasses also may help the eyes to align.
3)Refractive errors mean that the shape of the eye doesn’t refract, or bend, light properly, so images appear blurred.
Refractive errors can further lead to eyestrain or amblyopia. Some of the conditions are
- Nearsightedness or Myopia is poor distance vision, which is usually treated with glasses or contacts.
- Farsightedness also called hyperopia is poor near vision (which is usually treated with glasses or contacts.
- Astigmatism is imperfect curvature of the front surface of the eye, which is usually treated with glasses if it causes blurred vision or discomfort.
The above-mentioned conditions can be curable but the conditions that are mentioned below require immediate attention. It is very important that such inherited and genetic disorders be corrected at an early age through regular eye screenings and exams. Diseases such as retinopathy of prematurity (a disease that affects the eyes of premature babies) and those associated with a family history, including:
a)Retinoblastoma which is a malignant tumor that usually appears in the first 3 years of life. The affected eye may have visual loss and whiteness in the pupil.
b)Infantile cataracts are conditions that occur in newborns. A cataract is a gradual clouding of the eye’s lens.
c)Congenital glaucoma in infants is a rare condition that may be inherited.It is caused due to incorrect or incomplete development of the eye drainage canals before birth and can be treated with medication and surgery.
Be sure to talk to your doctor if your child is at risk for any of these conditions. Your child’s eyes are very precious and delicate. Take really good care of them.
» Filed Under Latest News
Comments
Leave a Reply
