Children's Eye Health

Your child's health includes not only physical health but also eye health, which is one of the most important senses. To protect your child's eye health, it is necessary to warn them about all kinds of dangers that may harm their eyes and, in addition, to carry out regular eye examinations.

Eye disorders commonly seen in children

• Strabismus
• Deviation
• Lazy eye

In children, many eye disorders, primarily refractive errors, manifest as deviation. Children with eye deviation should be examined without losing time. Especially for children with a family history of eye disorders, examination within the first 3 years of life is very beneficial, even if there is no eye deviation. The Pediatric Autorefractometer we use in our clinic makes the examination and follow-up of children easier. Timely treatment of eye deviations can prevent the development of lazy eye. Lazy eye (amblyopia) is mostly due to eye disorders that have not been noticed within the first 7 years of life. It is the failure of three-dimensional vision to develop due to poor vision in one eye. In addition to treating the main problem, covering the healthy eye (orthoptic treatment) can treat this condition in the early period.

How often should children be examined?

Even if the child has no complaints about the eyes, an eye examination within the first year of life is of great benefit for detecting congenital anomalies. If no problem is detected, the eye examination is repeated at 3-4 years of age and before starting school. Due to excessive intake of visual stimuli such as intensive computer use, television and heavy study loads, refractive errors have been detected in a large proportion of children in recent years. For this reason, it is beneficial for children without complaints to have an eye examination at least once every 2 years. If the need for glasses arises during the examination, the examination is repeated every 6 months or once a year on the advice of the doctor. Eye defects can be easily detected even in young children with the pediatric autorefractometer we use in our department.

What is strabismus?

The lack of parallel alignment of the eyes when looking straight ahead is called strabismus. This condition results from the failure of one or more of the 6 muscles in each eye to function properly. Eye deviations may be seen inward, outward, downward or upward.

What is pseudostrabismus?

A flat nasal bridge, which is frequently observed in infants, may create the impression of inward deviation, especially when looking to the side. This condition, which can also be seen in facial asymmetry and eyelid anomalies, is called pseudostrabismus or pseudo-deviation. No treatment is applied for pseudo-deviations.

What are the causes of strabismus?

Strabismus may be congenital, or it may occur due to uncorrected refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism), anomalies of the eye muscles, neurological diseases and trauma.

What are the symptoms of strabismus?

• Eyes looking in different directions
• Headache
• Double vision
• Closing one eye in bright light
• Tilting the head to one side when looking
• Blurred vision

When should babies with suspected eye deviation be taken to a doctor?

A commonly held misconception about strabismus is that deviation may be normal until the child reaches a certain age. Unfortunately, some pediatricians may also guide patients in this way. The truth is that any deviation is pathological. Causes such as congenital cataract and intraocular tumors can also cause eye deviation, so in suspicious cases it is necessary to see an eye doctor immediately.

Which methods are used in the treatment of strabismus?

• Use of glasses: The most common cause of strabismus is uncorrected refractive errors. Glasses must be used in the treatment of deviations that appear especially around 2-3 years of age. With glasses, both the quality of vision improves and, in most cases, the deviation disappears. It should not be forgotten that strabismus treatment is a long and laborious process.
• Occlusion therapy (patching): It is a treatment that must be applied in cases of strabismus or lazy eye developing due to a difference in prescription between the two eyes.
• Orthoptic treatment: These are treatments applied to increase visual ability and the sense of three-dimensional vision.
• Surgery: It is a method applied for deviations that develop due to a refractive error or cannot be corrected to the desired level with glasses. Surgical treatment is not a treatment performed to get rid of glasses. If necessary after surgery, glasses continue to be used.

What is lazy eye and how is it treated?

Lazy eye is when the corrected visual acuity of one eye is lower than that of the other eye. Vision is an ability that the brain learns from infancy onwards. If not enough stimulus is sent from one eye to the visual center in the brain due to reasons such as strabismus, high prescription or congenital cataract, the vision of that eye becomes lower than the other. In the treatment of lazy eye, it is essential to eliminate the underlying problem and to exercise the lazy eye by covering the healthy eye.