A squint is a condition where the child’s eyes instead of aligning straight, point in different directions. It can cause blurred vision, double vision and lead to lazy eye.
Around 1 in 20 children have a squint. It can be picked up in routine eye checks. If you notice your baby or young child has crossed eyes or some other apparent eye misalignment, schedule an appointment with an eye doctor (ophthalmologist ) near you immediately — preferably with an ophthalmologist who specializes in children's vision.
Squints can be treated with glasses and eye exercises. If these don’t work, surgery may be needed to move the muscles that control the eye.
Astigmatism is a vision condition that causes blurred vision due to an irregularly shaped cornea, the clear front cover of the eye and changes in curvature of the crystalline lens inside the eye (more like a rugby ball than a football).
It is very common. In fact, many people who wear glasses will have some degree of astigmatism.
• Blurred or distorted vision for distance and near
• Eyestrain and headaches
• Squinting to see objects clearly
• Discomfort of eyes
Left untreated, astigmatism can cause headaches; eyestrain and tiredness, particularly after doing tasks that involve focusing on something for long periods, such as reading or using a computer. People with astigmatism have several options to regain clear vision. They include:
• Eyeglasses, which are the most popular correction method for astigmatism, contain a special cylindrical lens prescription that corrects astigmatism.
• Contact lenses - Some people with an active lifestyle prefer astigmatism correction with contact lenses. Contact lenses may provide clear vision and a wider field of view. Special toric soft contact lenses can correct many types of astigmatism.
Myopia, also known as shortsightedness, is a condition where a person is able to see things that are near clearly but the distant objects/vision is blurred. A person with short sight will be able to see things up close quite clearly, like when they’re reading. But for tasks that require distant vision, like driving or watching TV, their vision is blurred.
Very common. Today 28% of the world’s population has myopia and it is predicted that by 2050, 50% of the world’s population will be myopic. In many countries it is being treated at the level of an epidemic. Young children and teenagers mostly suffer from shortsightedness.
• Genetics
• Excessive usage of digital devices/near work.
• Exposure to less sunlight.
• Indoor work/lack of sunlight increases dopamine in the body, which triggers the growth of the eyeball, increasing chances of developing myopia.
• Studies suggest, children should at least play for 45 minutes outdoors to reduce chances of developing myopia.
• Wearing correct prescription (eyeglasses).
• By making changes in one's lifestyle and including a good balance between outdoor activities and indoor work as well as regularly monitoring the vision.
• Use of specific types of progressive lenses.
• By means of medications (eye drops) for kids.
• Use of specialty contact lenses in kids which are worn at night and reshape the cornea (temporary) so that during the day, glasses are not required. This technique is known as Orthokeratology.
• It can be easily corrected by eyeglasses and contact lenses.
• Retarding the onset/progression is being achieved through various methods for children in specific.
Lazy eye is a vision development disorder in which an eye fails to achieve normal visual acuity, even with prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses. If your child is diagnosed with an amblyopic or lazy eye, it usually means that one of their eyes is weaker than the other, causing them to rely more on their ‘good’ eye.
Around 1 in 50 children develop an amblyopic or lazy eye. Amblyopia typically begins during infancy and early childhood. In most cases, only one eye is affected. But in some cases, amblyopia can occur in both eyes.
It can usually be diagnosed at about the age of four during routine eye checks with a qualified Optometrist, or at their developmental screening. Another clue your child may have a lazy eye is if he or she cries or fusses when you cover one eye.
It is very important that the child undergoes vision screening at regular basis in his early years starting kindergarten to rule out possibility of Amblyopia.
Glasses will be prescribed to correct the vision in the weaker eye and often no further treatment is required. If the weak eye does not respond fully then a patch can be worn over the good eye for part of the day to force the weaker eye to work. Treatment is usually effective but may take a while. The earlier the condition is identified and treatment started, the better and faster are the results.
Children with long-sightedness can see distant objects very well, but have difficulty focusing on objects that are up close. The condition is also referred to as hyperopia.
Most children are slightly long-sighted but often will not require glasses to correct it unless it is causing a problem.
If your child has a significant level of long sight, it can be corrected with glasses or contact lenses.