By – Dr Ananya Ganguly from Disha Eye Hospital
In August, the primary eyecare theme is Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month. This month is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of eye health in children and promoting measures to prevent vision loss. Dr Ananya Ganguly from Disha Eye Hospitals throws light on the major Eye Health concerns which are prevalent amongst children, the imperative measures which can prevent it and the remedies required.
According to different studies done globally,about 80 percent of blindness is avoidable if diagnosed and treated early.Thus paediatric eye care service plays a vital role in elimination of avoidable blindness.Major eye health concerns can be discussed under the following age brackets.However overlapping of the symptoms do often happen.
In infants, who are aged upto 1 year some of the eye trouble which can affect them severely are Congenital Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction (CNLDO). It is a blocked nasolacrimal duct that can result in excessive tearing in babies even when they are not crying.
Then there is Congenital Glaucoma. When babies are oversensitive to even normal day light,it could be due to increased eye pressure leading to a bull-eye look (buphthalmos). Another is Congenital Cataract & Nystagmus Condition. The eyes of a child normally must be able to track objects after about 3 months of age. However failure to do so along with white reflex in eyes or continuous fluttering of eyes may raise suspicion and could be due to congenital cataract.
Apart from these, some babies may have some inherited retinal dystrophies which when detected early and can be managed by certain advanced visual aids. The ROP or Retinopathy of premature birth is another eye defect prevalent amongst children. It is a condition where abnormal blood vessels grow in the retina of premature babies or who weigh less than 1.5 kgs at birth.
For Preschool kids who are aged between 2 years to 5 years, they most suffer from
1. Refractive Errors, which highlights hyperopia,myopia or astigmatism which are typically detected during school visual examination programmes.
2. Strabismus Defect is also another condition where the parents may notice crossed eyes or eyes deviating inwards (esotropia) or outwards(exotropia) .
3. Amblyopia or Lazy Eyes which is a very common eye issue involves a condition when there is lack of vision in either eye, which can’t be fully corrected with glasses.
4. Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) – This is a severe disorder which originates from the brain and affects the children and the adults. The parents should watch for any indication of delayed development,which may signal the presence of cerebral visual impairment.
For School kids who are aged between 6 years to 10 years, some of the common eye related ailments are Asthenopia, Vernal KeratoConjunctivitis and Digital Eye Strain. In Asthenopia, the kids complain of headache and discomfort which may be due to undetected refractive error or convergence insufficiency. Headache work up should be done properly as serious conditions like optic disc edema could be the reason.
Vernal keratoconjunctivitis is very common in this age group leading to blurry vision, teary eyes,intense itching and discharge. Last but very known is Digital Eye Strain which is an issue which is caused due to increased exposure to screen time lately in school children and as a result leads to reduced blink rate and thus dry eye disease.
Paediatric eye problems can be addressed through various remedies depending on the specific condition. As in Congenital Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction (CNLDO), it can be treated by probing of the lacrimal duct and sac messages. Refractive Errors & Amblyopia can be managed with corrective glasses and patching therapy. Cataracts and strabismus can be well managed with surgeries. Seasonal allergy or VKC and eye infections require steroid or antibiotic eye drops along with some anti allergic medications.
Early detection and appropriate treatment are crucial for optimal vision development.