Pediatric Treatment

GLASSES

Tricks to detect eye diseases in children.

Refractive error or glasses
Children with minus number will be able to see clearly if they hold the object close to face. This would be the most common sign observed in children with minus number.

  Squeezing of eyes
Squeezing of eyes will reduce the number of light rays entering the eye and therefore will reduce the distortion induced by the refractive error. This makes the image clearer for the child .Child will do this for distance as well as near object.

  Watering of eyes
Glass number will produce severe strain in the eye. This strain will cause various effects over the eyes. Most common amongst it is watering of the eyes.

  Squinting of eyes
If the child has high plus number he may try to use his eye muscles excessively to control the number. This may produce squint in the eyes. This type of squint which is due to glasses generally is noted after the child starts going to school. This can be intermittent and will be seen more commonly when the child is reading or when he is looking at a near object.

Going close to the board or television
If the child is active enough he may try to go closer to the board or television set In addition to these the child may complain of headache (older child of course) may be inattentive in school will not copy things correctly from the board will have poor performance in exams will not show much interest in sports

Lazy Eyes Or Amblyopia

Inappropriate development of vision in one eye as compared to the other is called amblyopia or lazy eyes. This happens when is used more frequently than the other. These are of three types.
  Due to different glass number in two eyes
  Due to squint
  Due to cataract
It is very difficult to detect these diseases for layman. Because one eye has good vision and therefore the child does not complain or show any features of decreased vision. This is especially true for amblyopia due to difference in glass number. Regular and routine eye checkup is therefore very important Lazy eyes due squint and cataract can be detected early
Lazy eye are treated with glasses and eye patches . This treatment is of long duration. May take one to two years to have its effect. If done at proper time and with full dedication, complete benefit can be obtained.
If the child is active enough he may try to go closer to the board or television set In addition to these the child may complain of headache (older child of course) may be inattentive in school will not copy things correctly from the board will have poor performance in exams will not show much interest in sports

Cataract

Tricks to detect cataract
  May show white opacity in the eye. If the cataract is dense it can be seen with naked eye or else a torch light can be used to detect the same.
  Child with cataract may also have squint
  But it important to remember that not all opacities will be seen with torch light. Some small but significant cataracts are seen only with specialized ophthalmic equipment.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is increase in pressure inside the eye. This can cause damage to the nerve of the eye and can lead to permanent loss of vision Tricks to detect glaucoma
  Child will have excessive watering of eyes
  Eye will appear large
  Front black portion of the eye ( cornea ) will appear white.

Allergic Eye Conditions

Tricks to detect
  Child will constantly keep on rubbing the eyes and will have severe itching
  Eye will appear red
  White part of the will appear dull and muddy
  Though this is trivial disease of eye it can have devastating complications .Therefore recognizing and treating this is important.

Infection Of The Eye

Infections of eye serious disorders of eye which have to be taken care of as early as possible. These can occur immediately after birth also and can lead to severe impairment of vision.
Tricks to detect infections
  Discharge from eye
  Swelling of eyes
  Redness of eyes
  Child not opening his eyes
  Severe cases child may have general malaise and fever

Retinal Problem

Tricks to detect
  Child will have difficulty in night vision
  There may be family history of similar illness
  May have difficulty in opening the eyes in very bright light
  May have constant movement of eyes
  May have very low vision
  May have squint
  These are difficult diseases to treat. But special glasses called low vision aids can be given to improve their vision

Vitamin A Deficiency

Tricks to detect
  Child will appear otherwise very malnourished
  There may be white spots over the eye
  This is a preventable disease if appropriate care of nutrition

Cancers Of The Eye

Tricks to detect
  There may be white reflex from the eye
  Eye may appear large
  There may be repeated redness of the eye
  Eye may appear pushed outwards
These are also difficult to treat diseases but timely management can save the life of the child.

Corneal Problem

These will appear as white opacities of the black portion of the eyes. Severe amongst these need corneal replacement.

Drooping Of Eye Lid (Ptosis)

This is again not just a cosmetic problem. If the drooping eyelid causes obstruction to light entering the eye it can cause lazy eyes as discussed earlier. This again can be treated surgically with good results.

Appointments

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