Ophthalmologist Prof. Dr. Ferda Çiftçi, Batıgöz Health Group Altunizade-Istanbul branch, compiled the importance of eye health in children.
“If your child blinks frequently, has a headache often, or gets tired quickly while reading, maybe this is because he can’t see well,” said Prof. Dr. Ferda Çiftçi underlined that children may not express their vision problems as well as adults and stated that the symptoms should be followed carefully by the parents.
Symptoms of eye disease in children
Common symptoms observed in eye health disorders in children are;
– Squinting and strabismus that can be experienced from time to time in the eyes,
– Excessive rubbing and blinking of the eyes,
– Frequent headaches and dizziness,
– Losing lines while reading, returning to the beginning, mixing letters,
– Inability to make an effort for a long time while studying can be listed as attention that is scattered quickly.
“The presence of even one of the symptoms is considered sufficient to see a specialist physician. It is recommended that every child undergo a routine eye examination once a year, even if they do not have any symptoms.” he said.
Common eye diseases in children
“Many eye diseases can be inherited in children. Therefore, routine eye examination from an early age is of great importance in the early diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases.
Visual Laziness
“Although lazy eye is an eye disease that can be seen at any age, its incidence is substantial when congenital eye problems are not treated on time. Visual laziness occurs when the brain processes the image transmitted by the well-sighted eye and the other eye becomes lazier over time, due to different levels of visual impairment in both eyes. In lazy eyes, since one eye still performs its sharpening function, it may be more difficult to notice, especially by pediatric patients.
Strabismus may develop due to insufficient development of eye muscles during pregnancy, congenital structural problems in eye size, developmental delay due to premature birth or hereditary reasons, as well as due to damage to the eye by other eye defects over time. Early diagnosis is important so that strabismus does not cause lazy eye.
Hypermetropic
“Hypermetropia is one of the eye diseases that can be detected when the symptoms are followed by the parents. Children with hyperopia often blink their eyes, complain of a headache, and feel the need to bring objects closer to their eyes in order to see them clearly.”
Astigmatism
“Astigmatism is an eye health problem that causes diffuse vision rather than a clear point. Astigmatism, which is one of the eye problems that children may have difficulty in expressing, may have difficulty in understanding that there is a problem in the scattered image that the child sees, and therefore the treatment may be delayed.
Myopic
“Children with myopia may be indifferent to their surroundings due to their inability to see clearly, and when very high numbers of myopia are not noticed, the development of the child may be delayed. Myopia can be easily detected by routine eye examination and the quality of vision can be improved with the help of glasses.
Stating that eye health problems in children can prevent children from socializing and showing success in school, Prof. Dr. Ferda Çiftçi said, “Even some eye diseases can cause irreversible vision loss in advanced pictures. For this reason, even if the child does not show any signs of disease, routine examination by ophthalmologists should not be neglected.”
