Paediatric Ophthalmology
Paediatric ophthalmology is a subspecialty of ophthalmology that concerns vision care in children. Since the visual system is in a developing phase in childhood, hence it is imperative that any eye disorder in children be identified and rectified, as early as possible. paediatric ophthalmologists treat eye defects in children through medication, therapies, and complex eye surgeries. Due to their expertise in handling eye movement disorders, paediatric ophthalmologists also treat squint in adults.
WHY YOUR CHILD NEEDS AN EXPERT PAEDIATRIC OPHTHALMOLOGIST?
Children experience a variety of eye problems, which are relatively distinct from adult eye diseases.
- It is crucial to be attentive to children’s eye care when their eye-brain connections are still developing and strengthening. All of these reasons demand an additional emphasis on their requirements.
- Any problem at this stage has the potential to hinder their future visual capabilities permanently Children’s eye care issues may not always be apparent, and the child may not complain. Hence, the need to objectively assess the needs, if any.
Importance of Eye Examination in Children
The most commonly noticeable sign in children is the challenge in reading the content written on blackboards in school. Sometimes, they even struggle to write in their notebooks.
- It is easy to recognise a physical symptom such as misalignment of the eyes, a squint in the eyes, drooping eyelids, or any other physical deformity around the eyes that may appear to affect the vision. Timely detection and diagnosis are essential for treatment for squint eyes.
- Children often feel more discomfort as compared to adults who have a higher tolerance for pain or irritation. Any signs of frequent headaches along with watery or red eyes, recurring inflammation or irritation in the eyes, should not be dismissed easily.
- Easy susceptibility to different types of eye infections is also a very visible indicator that a detailed eye check-up is a must for the child.
- Some of the disorders regarding the sense of sight are also hereditary. If one has a family history of eye-related disorders or needs corrective glasses, the same problems may manifest in children.
Common Eye Diseases
The most common eye diseases seen in children are squint, refractive errors (spectacle requirement), lazy eye disease, congenital or paediatric cataract, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and rarely tumours.
Understanding Squint (Strabismus)
Strabismus or squint is an eye condition in which the eyes are not aligned in the same direction. This eye disorder may or may not manifest in children. They usually develop before five years of age but can appear later too.
Strabismus may also occur in adults due to residual childhood strabismus. Treatment for squint eyes becomes unmissable if you notice one eye of your child turning inwards, upwards, downwards, or outwards, while the other one focuses on one spot.
Depending on the type of strabismus, the expert surgeons perform squint surgery or strabismus surgery. We have some of the most reliable names in the field of ophthalmology, eye procedures, and squint treatment.
If ignored or left untreated, squint, or strabismus may lead to further severe problems like persistent blurred or double vision, and lazy eye- an early childhood eye condition in which the eyesight does not develop properly in one eye. This eye condition is also known as amblyopia.
Other Paediatric Ophthalmology Services Available:
- Blocked tear ducts
- Ptosis
- Abnormal vision development
- Retinopathy of prematurity
- Amblyopia
- Convergence insufficiency
- Congenital malformations
- Refractive errors such as myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, etc
Treatment Available
Squint eye treatment (Cross-eyed Treatment)
The paediatric ophthalmologists’ team offers all forms of treatment for strabismus. Based on the patient’s condition, our team provides correct consultation and the treatment that will go with the specific eye condition. With more than two decades of experience in eye care and squint correction surgery, choosing for strabismus surgery is the right decision. The surgeon performing the squint correction surgery needs to know the exact cause of the misaligned eyes. Unbalanced muscles, Nerve defects,or any other condition could be the reason for eyes to turn.
After a thorough eye examination, including a comprehensive study of the inner parts of the eye, our surgeons advise appropriate optical, medical, or surgical therapy.
Strabismus treatment or cross-eyed treatment needs to be early and aggressive. If the eye turn is constant and patching, glasses (bifocal, prismatic, etc.) do not eliminate the eye turn; then, surgery needs to be considered.
Are squint eye exercises helpful in dealing with the condition?
Practising eye exercises, as recommended by the ophthalmologists, may help in aligning eyes in selected cases. There are many vision therapy programs that are customized according to the needs of the patient. Squint eye exercises in a vision treatment plan are advised only after a thorough eye examination.
Squint eye exercises aim to improve the coordination of the eyes and to delay the need for surgery. They can be done at home or as suggested by the expert.
Some of the widely known squint eye exercises are:
- Pencil exercise
- Brock string exercise
- Pencil push-ups
- Machine-based exercises
How to correct squint eyes in babies?
We offer regular check-ups, plan treatments, and provide a comprehensive diagnosis of your childs eye care needs. Get quality squint correction surgery. Our eye specialists for kids always make sure to lighten the environment in our paediatric ophthalmology department. Our paediatricophthalmologists ensure hassle-free treatment of your little ones.
Crossed-eye surgery or squint surgery is pretty common. Mild cases are managed with spectacles, wherever possible. However, significant eye deviations, not correctable by glasses alone, require surgery. Squint correction is a highly specialized surgery performed by our eye specialists for kids and is a common treatment for squints
