As a parent, you can do a lot for your child’s health, just by taking a proactive approach. Although most parents take their children to regular check-ups, sometimes they neglect eye health screenings. In plenty of cases, eye problems in children can be resolved when detected early, or at least their progression can be slowed down. Oftentimes, parents aren’t even aware that their child is having vision problems. Here are some of the most common eye problems in children, and what you can do about them.
- Problem #1: Blocked tear ducts
As a lot of mothers know, plenty of newborns – at least 20 percent – suffer from blocked tear ducts. This is a condition that they are born with. If your baby commonly has a lot of yellow or white discharge which turns their eyes and lashes crusty, this could be a sign of a blocked tear duct. Very often, the symptoms of a blocked duct are similar to conjunctivitis. Worse still, it can even lead to true conjunctivitis and other infections. The ducts in question are tiny canals in the inner corners of the eyes that should drain tears into the nose. When they don’t open naturally, the tears can’t drain properly. Parents normally notice this problem a few weeks after birth, when tears appear. Most doctors first recommend trying to fix the problem at home. You should clean the eyes with lukewarm compresses, and gently massage the inner corners of the eyes with a clean fingertip. The upward or circular movement of the massage can often help break open the membrane. If there is no improvement within 6 months, your pediatrician may suggest surgery.
- Problem #2: Strabismus
Strabismus refers to eyes that are not evenly aligned. It happens when, for instance, one eye turns out or in. Strabismus can be permanent, or it can come and go. Sometimes it even switches between eyes, first affecting one and then the other. If left untreated, strabismus can, with time, lead to other eye issues. It’s very common in children, but there are usually no targeted screenings for it. For instance, in Australia around 3 to 5 % of the population suffer from strabismus, but it is often left to GPs to recognize and diagnose it. By the time that happens, it has often already caused amblyopia or another problem. That is why many parents decide to take their kids to see an expert optometrist in Sydney early on. Most experts agree that the first full eye screening should be done by age 3.
Problem #3: Amblyopia
Amblyopia is a condition which affects children, better known as lazy eye. So, what exactly does it mean? Sometimes one eye naturally has better vision than the other. For instance, the other could be affected by astigmatism, or farsightedness. The condition in which only one of the eyes is affected by farsightedness is called uneven focus, and it can be very hard to detect. When that happens, the brain starts favoring the vision from the healthy eye and ignores the blurry or imperfect image from the affected eye. In time, if not detected early, this can turn into a real problem. The vision in the blurry eye gets gradually worse, because the brain stops building nervous connections to the weaker eye. That means that after a few years, the damage will have become permanent.
Problem #4: Retinopathy
Retinopathy is a condition which commonly afflicts very prematurely born babies. Basically, it means that the retina and the blood vessels in the eye didn’t have the time to develop properly. Instead, abnormal vessels appear in the retina. When these vessels leak or bleed, they can cause scarring. In time, this leads to permanent vision loss, and eventually even blindness. Retinopathy can also occur as a result of diabetes. Retinopathy is treated with surgery.
A lot of parents only notice their child is experiencing vision problems when she starts school. Reading and writing make eye problems pretty easy to notice. However, early detection is often essential. That is why you shouldn’t wait for your kid to start complaining. Sometimes kids develop eye problems even before they can speak. Screenings are the only way to catch any issue early and react promptly.
This post comes from the TODAY Parenting Team community, where all members are welcome to post and discuss parenting solutions. Learn more and join us! Because we're all in this together.