Eye Health Of Children
Eye Health Of Children; In addition to the general health of your child, eye health is also very important. To protect your child’s eye health, regular eye examinations should be performed at certain ages. In this way, possible vision loss is prevented in a timely manner.
We, as Retina Academy, provide services by offering detailed testing and treatment opportunities for children of all ages. Within the scope of the service we offer, it is possible to learn all kinds of eye problems early and treat them easily.
What are the Common Eye Disorders in Children?
Especially among the diseases seen in children, refractive errors (eye disorders) and strabismus are the most common diseases. Early detection of these disorders is important for children’s eye health. Especially children with strabismus should be examined as soon as possible.
Otherwise, a disorder called strabismic amblyopia may develop. Children with familial eye disorders should be examined at an early age, even if they do not have strabismus. In this way, amblyopia is prevented with early diagnosis and treatment.
Through the pediatric autorefractometer we use in our clinic, we can easily examine children and detect diseases such as refractive error and strabismus from infancy. At the same time, we can record and track these disorders. Correct and timely treatment of strabismus can prevent the development of amblyopia.
Amblyopia (lazy eye) mainly occurs due to eye disorders that are not noticed until the first 7 years of age. The visual center in the brain of the weaker eye develops poorly due to the decreased vision in one eye compared to the other or strabismus in one eye.
If it is left untreated by the age of 9, the decrease in vision becomes permanent and cannot be treated anymore. In addition to treating the underlying problem, closing the healthy eye can treat this condition at an early stage. In our health institution, we successfully treat problems such as eye disorders and lazy eye, which are generally seen in children.
How Often Should Children Be Examined?
Even if there is no eye complaint, the basic examination for birth defects is done by the pediatrician as soon as the child is born. Further detailed examinations should be done by an ophthalmologist. The first examination in the first year is very important for the early diagnosis and treatment of many eye diseases.
If no problems are detected, the eye examination should be repeated at the age of 3-4 and around the age of 6-7 just before school age. In recent years, the incidence of refractive errors has increased in most children due to intense use of computers, tablets and phones, and excessive visual stimuli such as television.
For this reason, even in children without complaints, it would be appropriate to have a child eye examination at certain intervals according to the advice of your doctor.
If an eye disorder is detected during the examination and the need for glasses is seen, the examination is repeated once a year or more frequently upon the recommendation of the doctor.
Thanks to the pediatric autorefractometer we use in our institution, eye defects can be easily detected in children from different age groups and even in infancy. Thus, we can offer you the opportunity to have your child examined at regular intervals.
Lacrimal Duct Obstruction In Infants
There are many diseases related to the tear system. One of them is that the lower lacrimal duct is blocked in infants. In this disease, the valve at the end of the tear duct opening to the nose does not open at birth.
The tears that cannot pass through the nasal canal first accumulate in the lacrimal sac, then flow from the eyelids and cause watering in the eye. Additionally, after a while, especially the lacrimal sac may become infected.
In fact, this infection is sometimes very severe and can spread around the eyes. Within the scope of eye health of children, the blockage in the lacrimal duct should be opened. In the first year, a special massage to the lacrimal sac can be performed to open the blockage.
If the result cannot be obtained with massage, 90% of the canal can be opened with a simple surgical procedure called probing. In cases where probing is not successful, tube placement in the lacrimal duct and lacrimal duct surgeries may be required.
Strabismus in Children
Strabismus is an eye problem that is also encountered in children. As an institution providing services in the field of pediatric eye health, we provide services in the diagnosis and treatment of this problem.
Strabismus problem may occur in children congenitally or subsequently due to some reasons. In order to avoid this problem, two things are very important.
The first of these is to perform eye examinations and tests on time and not to interrupt the controls. In our clinic, we serve you and your child for the treatment of strabismus in children.
Which Methods Are Used in the Treatment of Strabismus?
The most common cause of strabismus is uncorrected refractive errors. In the treatment of strabismus, which usually occurs around the age of 2-3 and develops due to an eye disorder, treatment can be provided even by using the right glasses.
Thanks to glasses, both the quality of vision increases and strabismus is largely eliminated. It should not be forgotten that the treatment of strabismus is a long and arduous treatment.
Orthoptic treatment is the treatment applied to increase vision and three-dimensional vision. Surgery, on the other hand, is a method applied in cases that cannot be corrected as desired with glasses.
Surgical treatment is not a treatment for getting rid of glasses. If necessary, the use of glasses is continued after the surgery. Amblyopia should be treated, if possible, before surgical treatment. With these methods, strabismus treatment is applied within the scope of pediatric eye health.
What Is Amblyopia, How Is It Treated?
Amblyopia occurs when the corrected visual acuity of one eye is lower than the other or when there is strabismus in one eye. Sight is something the brain learns from early childhood.
With strabismus, if there is not enough stimulation in the visual center of the brain for one eye due to reasons such as greater eye spacing and congenital cataracts, the vision of that eye will be lower than that of the other eye.
Essentially, amblyopia is caused by the underdevelopment of one eye’s visual center in the brain. The treatment of amblyopia is to find the main problem and treat amblyopia by closing the healthy eye.
Amblyopia problem should be detected and treated in childhood. Especially early treatment is very successful. As the child grows, and especially after the age of 9, the treatment of amblyopia becomes very difficult.
When Should Children See a Doctor for Eye Health?
Eye health is very important. It is important to go for control at an early age in order to avoid major eye problems. Eye health is under control and problems can be treated with the controls to be made in the first month, 1st age, 3rd age and 6th age.
Is Early Diagnosis Important in Children?
In general, early diagnosis is of great importance in the field of health. Thanks to early diagnosis, we detect eye defects that may cause problems in the future in children.
Various tests and controls are carried out within the scope of the pediatric eye health service we offer. Accordingly, your children will grow up in a healthy way and will be protected against eye diseases in the future.
When Should Babies with Suspected Strabismus Be Taken to the Doctor?
The misconception about strabismus is that strabismus may be normal until a child reaches a certain age. The fact is that any strabismus is pathological. Since causes such as cataracts and intraocular tumors may cause strabismus, an ophthalmologist should be consulted immediately in doubtful cases.
Pediatric Eye Health Treatment Prices 2024
Prices in the field of eye health vary widely. In general, a price is offered after the eye examination. Problems that occur in children are determined by our ophthalmologists after testing and examination.
Then, the most appropriate treatment method is selected depending on the child’s eye disorders. After that, we, as Retina Academy, offer a price within the scope of pediatric eye health service.