Know Why Is Regular Eye Check Up Important For Children!

Sight is one of our most important senses. Visual system develops in a mother’s womb and continues to develop after birth. Various milestones are achieved rapidly in early childhood eg depth perception; ability to judge the distance, hand-eye coordination, accommodation and vergence. To ensure that your vision is not compromised, regular eye examinations are essential.

Children may not realize that they have a visual problem, more so if only one eye is affected. This is regardless of age and overall health because the only way to diagnose conditions in the eye in the early stages is with a comprehensive eye exam. By arresting them in the early stages, many eye disorders can be easily controlled and children can reach their highest visual potential.

During a routine eye examination, the doctor will look into a number of aspects of your eye's health. An eye examination can also indicate serious health issues like diabetes, macular degeneration and glaucoma. Some of the conditions an eye doctor looks for during an eye exam are:

Refractive error- 

If you already have a prescription this will be checked. In other cases, eyes are checked for nearsightedness (Myopia), farsightedness (Hypermetropia) and astigmatism which can be corrected with spectacles or contact lenses and LASIK surgery. The earlier a refractive error is corrected, the lower are its chances of increasing. When it comes to children, they often do not realize signs of vision deterioration and hence, an eye examination becomes essential.

Amblyopia/Lazy eye - 
This is a condition where one eye has a much higher refractive error than the other or where the eyes are misaligned. The affected eye fails to achieve its normal visual potential. If this is not treated in time, amblyopia can stunt vision in the affected eye for life.

Strabismus-

Crossed or turned eyes are termed as cases of strabismus. This is caused by the misalignment of the eyes and can cause problems with depth perception. Even refractive error which is not corrected and used as spectacles at the right time can cause strabismus. This can lead to Lazy eye if not treated in time.

Focusing and communicative problems between the eyes -

An eye examination can also determine problems by focusing on objects. With children, this can be a sign of underdeveloped focusing skills while in adults it can be a symptom of presbyopia or age-related diminished focusing ability. Your doctor will also check how well your eyes work together. If they do not work in tandem, it can cause headaches, eye strains and problems with reading. Various eye exercises are taught to children for the same after reaching a diagnosis.

Corneal Ectasia -

Disorders like Keratoconus which present with irregular astigmatism and blurred vision can be detected and well managed if picked up early.

Diseases -

Some diseases which affect the mother during pregnancy can result in eye problems in a newborn like TORCH infections. These become evident at birth eg congenital cataract or more slowly as the child grows. Some serious conditions like Retinoblastoma/cancer of the eye go unnoticed due to no eye checkup in early age. It is life-saving if treated at the appropriate time. 

By looking at the blood vessels and retina of the eyes, doctors can detect signs of high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. Leaks in the blood vessels or bleeding in the eyes can also be a sign of diabetes or swelling of the macula.

Age-related conditions -

As with the rest of the body, the eye tissues and muscles also degenerate with time. Cataract is one of the most common age-related issues that affect the eyes. But it doesn’t happen to old people only. We encounter cataract in one or both eyes even of the newborns or small children. This may require surgical intervention.

Glaucoma is another entity which is seen more often in the elderly but not uncommon in children. Juvenile glaucoma must be detected and managed well otherwise it can cause blindness!!

Hence, regular eye check-up is essential for ensuring good eye health of our children.