By Aaron Barriga
We consider eyes the mirrors of our soul. Undoubtedly, we know it is the most valuable body part.
A child’s health is always a priority for a parent. Eyes being the most sensitive body part, it is normal for you to freak out whenever your child experiences any kind of eye problem.
Over the years, your child can develop a variety of vision problems. Always consult your doctor if their problems cause them excruciating pain.
We will discuss the 5 most common eye problems in children:
1. Refractive error
When the eye struggles to focus light on the retina, it leads to blurry vision and other visual problems. This is called a refractive error.
It is an umbrella term for the following eye conditions:
- Astigmatism: Due to improperly shaped cornea, your child can have astigmatism. This affects your child’s near as well as far sight vision.
If the cornea (front portion of the eye) has a physical defect in its curve, the retina cannot focus on the light entering the eye. This results in blurred vision.
- Presbyopia: Translated literally into the ageing eye, it is a condition of reduced elasticity of the lens. Because of the loss of elasticity, the eye cannot focus on nearsighted objects.
Presbyopia is not a disease. It is caused by ageing in human beings, which is entirely normal. It is termed a progressive eye condition.
- Myopia (nearsightedness): In this eye condition, children can see close objects, but objects at far distances appear blurry. This is a genetic condition, and your child might get affected by it at a young age.
The light cannot focus on the retina, but it focuses on images in front of the retina and hence, this causes blurred vision.
- Hyperopia (farsightedness): The exact opposite of myopia, hyperopia is an eye condition where the child can see objects at a distance, but things nearby appear blurry.
With this condition, children’s eyeballs are shorter than usual and the cornea has a flatter curve. The focus point of light rays falls far beyond the retina when looking at objects nearby.
2. Amblyopia
Amblyopia is poor vision in children’s eyes because of a lack of proper visual stimulation in the early childhood stage.
This condition is also commonly referred to as lazy eye. It can result from diseases like strabismus, a pediatric cataract, or a high glasses prescription that is not detected early.
3. Strabismus (Eye Turn)
In strabismus, the eye muscles do not work correctly in sync. This means that one eye is turned inward, outward, upward, or downward. Hence, this condition is also called crossed eyes.
It can be that your child is born with this condition or can also develop because of an accident or other health problems.
4. Conjunctivitis
This condition is a contagious viral or bacterial infection. Commonly known as ‘pink eye’, your child’s eye will appear red and inflamed with discharge running out of their tear duct.
5. Cataract
In this condition, the eye lens gets clouded, obstructing light, leading to unclear vision and sometimes blindness in your child.
If your child’s pupil looks white when a flashlight is shined upon their eye, your child has symptoms of cataract. Surgery is required to remove the clouded vision in their sight.
Stay Alert
Eye problems are always a subject of concern for parents across the globe. Although, with proper treatment and early diagnosis, you can avoid any kind of severe damage to your child’s eye.
Keep looking for signs of problems in your child’s eyes and always run to a doctor to avoid further damage.
Author Bio:
Aaron Barriga is the online marketing manager for Insight Vision Center. With a knack for understanding medical procedures, and an interest in eye and vision health, Aaron loves to share what he knows and what he learns. He blogs with a mission of informing readers about the latest eye care technology and other topics related to eye care especially LASIK. He loves collecting coasters from the different bars and restaurants he visits during his travel.
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