What is Paediatric Ophthalmology?

Paediatric ophthalmology is a subspecialty of ophthalmology that concentrates on treating the various eye problems affecting children. Studies show that a lot of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and learning issues in children can be attributed to vision problems.

Paediatric Ophthalmology - Problems affecting our little people

Research shows that 1 out of 6 kids has vision related issues. Some of the most common issues affecting the little ones include:

1. Squint
2. Drooping of upper eyelids
3. Lazy eye
4. Refractive-errors

Eye diseases in newborns include:

1. ​Congenital glaucoma
2. Cataract
3. Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)

It is essential to address and rectify the issues in newborns as soon as possible. If not treated within the first six months of the child’s birth, there’s a good possibility that the child gets visually impaired for the rest of his/her life. The reason being, the optic nerve connecting the eyes to the brain is still developing and if any prevalent disease is not treated on time, there could be a permanent disconnect between the eyes and brain, eventually leading to total blindness.

Paediatric Ophthalmology - Let’s nip it in the bud!

Routine comprehensive eye checks should be an essential part of your child’s healthcare regime. While problems like squint or drooping of eyelids can be easily noticed, finding issues related to lazy eye & refractive errors could be quite a challenge to the parents. Especially because most kids do not report the problem to their parents for often they lack the ability to understand that there’s been a change in their visual skills. It, therefore, becomes the primary responsibility of parents to notice any change in their kids’ behavioural pattern like watching TV from a close distance or excessively straining to read from a book or performing badly at school all of a sudden.

If any of these ring a bell, then it’s time to meet a paediatric ophthalmologist and clarify on your kid’s eye health.

Detection of glaucoma

Periodical eye check-ups are the best way to detect Glaucoma easily. Glaucoma can be detected using five basic tests, they are:

1. Visual acuity test
2. Tonometry, to measure the eye pressure
3. Gonioscopy, to assess angles of anterior chamber
4. Ethnicity - Glaucoma is common among Asians, Africans- Americans and Hispanics
5. Evaluation of optic disc damage
6. Perimetry test, for visual field examination
7. Retinal nerve fibre layer analysis

Paediatric Ophthalmology - Saving the vision of our tomorrow

Paediatric Ophthalmology is taken quite seriously at Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospitals with expert consultants & surgeons working round-the-clock to make sure, the vision of our future generation is well protected. Children with squint and lazy eye issues are initially treated by prescribing glasses and suggesting eye exercises. In fact, Dr. Agarwal’s was one of the first hospitals to introduce the concept of eye yoga as a treatment mechanism. Parents of children born from a wedlock between relatives or with both of them wearing glasses due to refractive errors are advised to bring their kids for an evaluation, right from 3-4 years of age.

A comprehensive preschool eye check package is offered where a complete screening of the child’s vision for squint, retina, and optic nerve disorders is done. For more information on paediatric ophthalmology and treatments offered at Dr. Agarwal’s, please contact us; we’re here to protect the vision of our future.