What Are the Most Common Pediatric Vision Problems and How to Deal With Them

Pediatric vision problems can occur right from the moment of birth. Some children might complain of vision problems as young as one to two years old. In the case of very young kids, it takes a while for the parents to understand that they suffer from some vision problem.

Timely screening from time to time can help in detecting many issues quite early. You can consult sites like PersonalEYES for more information on pediatric vision problems and care.  

Here are some of the most commonly found vision problems seen in children.

1. Amblyopia

Also known as Lazy Eye, this is a condition where one or both eyes do not develop normal vision. It can be due to many reasons, but the most common issue is that the part of the brain meant for vision does not function as it should. Over time, the eye weakens further and could lead to long-term vision problems. However, amblyopia responds well to treatment when detected early, using a combination of eye drops, glasses, and sometimes surgery.

2. Refractive Errors

Farsightedness, nearsightedness, and astigmatism are the three most common refractive errors. The conditions can appear anytime during a person’s life, but in children, they can be corrected to a large extent by regularly wearing corrective prescription glasses. The problem is caused by abnormalities on the eye surface that do not allow light to hit the retina correctly.

3. Epiphora

This condition leads to excessive tearing, with water always appearing in the eyes. The problem is soon seen after birth in most cases if the tear drainage system is blocked. However, the problem often goes away by itself by the age of 6 to 12 months of age. If not, the optometrist might suggest eye drops and tear sac massage. When the condition is not resolved in extreme cases, the child might have to undergo surgery involving probing the drainage system.

4. Cortical Visual Impairment

Some abnormality in the brain’s visual centre mainly causes this condition, and the manifestation can happen in several ways. The brain is often not able to read the signals that the eyes send, preventing normal vision. There might be other forms of developmental abnormalities where the fetus might suffer from conditions like coloboma or microphthalmia. If the issues are very severe, then the child might be born with lost vision.

5. Diplopia

Also known as Double Vision, this condition is caused by eye misalignment. The result is that the child will see one object at two different places at the same time. It can hinder their sense of direction that could also lead to accidents. The misalignment can be in a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal manner. This is easy to detect as the child will often complain about the issue. The problem can be cured by wearing prism glasses and involving strabismus surgery in extreme cases.

The best way to take care of most pediatric eye conditions is to take your child for regular screenings until three. By this age, most issues can be detected, and with early treatment, they can be resolved. You can consult sites like PersonalEYES to know about these issues for your child’s vision health.