Pediatric Ophthalmology
Early diagnosis in childhood is essential to prevent and correct eye abnormalities, since the visual system is in continuous development until the age of 7-8, at which age it has fully matured.
What is it
Paediatric ophthalmology deals with visual health in childhood and adolescence through the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of the most common pathologies in this age group.
During the first years of life, the visual system in children develops until it completes its maturation at 7-8 years of age. At this age, visual acuity, binocular vision, visual field and color vision have already reached one hundred percent.
For this reason, it is vitally important to ensure proper visual development in this period, in order to detect early any visual anomaly that could worsen over time, and even be irreversible.
Specialists in paediatric ophthalmology recommend regular check-ups, not only as a surveillance measure, but also to address possible visual difficulties as soon as possible. It should be borne in mind that most children do not usually complain to their parents when they have any alteration in their vision, so to prevent these anomalies from being silenced, parents should be aware of the need to respect the schedule of ophthalmological check-ups in the paediatric age.
Most common visual problems in the
Infant age
Main recommendations for the
Children’s Eye Health
The child’s learning occurs mainly through the eyes, so good eye health will allow optimal general development.
Children are unlikely to recognize for themselves that they have difficulties in their vision, either because they get used to seeing poorly or because they assume that others see as they do.
However, they may repeatedly manifest certain behaviors that should be paid attention to in the family home and in the school environment, which indicate the existence of a visual problem that should be checked by the pediatric ophthalmologist.
Some symptoms of childhood vision problems between the ages of 3 and 6 are:
- Absence of fixation and monitoring of light (from 3 months).
- Squint your eyes to focus better at a distance.
- Extreme sensitivity to light (photophobia).
- Deviation or tremors of the eyes.
- Redness of the eyes.
- Rubbing your eyes often.
- Moving closer or further away from the TV or paper when reading or writing.
- Difficulty reading the blackboard.
- Confusing letters or words.
- Poor reading comprehension.
- Headaches with some frequency.
Schedule of ophthalmological check-ups in the
Pediatric age
Even if no visual abnormality is noticed in the child, experts advise that the first pediatric ophthalmological check-up should be carried out at the age of three. From this age, and under normal circumstances, this comprehensive examination should be repeated annually.
However, before the paediatric age, the following check-ups are advisable:
From the age of 3, check-ups aim to control visual acuity and/or adequately detect refractive errors or conditions such as lazy eye or color blindness.
