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The Importance Of A Pediatric Eyecare

03 May 2010 by admin

With the advent of electronic devices like televisions, computers, gaming stations and other gadgets, today’s kids are more hooked to the monitors like never before. And when you add normal daily activities like reading, writing, painting etc. with these, the amount of stress that the kids’ eyes have to bear is immense. The need of pediatric eyecare has always been there, but somehow it has acquired more significance in recent years.

We usually do not feel the need of taking our kids for an eye check-up, until they start showing some eye disorders. But that should not be the case. Most of the kids are born with healthy, normal eyes with perfect eyesight. But there are few kids who are born with some serious eye diseases or disorders. Most cases of such infant eye problems can be treated with the help of early medical intervention. But if these eye disorders are left untreated, it can lead to some serious or even permanent vision loss.

To avoid such a scenario, it is very important to follow a structured process of pediatric eyecare. Usually, there are basic eye examinations done for every newborn by the pediatrician. However, it is suggested that the first detailed eye examination for the kids should be done at the age of 6 months, followed by another at the age of 2 years. This should be followed up by annual eye examination to ensure that even if there are any possibilities of eye disorders, your proactive approach on pediatric eyecare will detect them.

Another very strong reason that you should continue with the annual eye examination is because until your kids reach a certain age, most often they cannot express problems associated with their bodies which includes eyes as well. But a pediatric eye doctor or an ophthalmologist can easily detect if there are any eye diseases in your kids.

On the contrary, as parents, it is usually us who have more possibility to detect the signs of eye problems in our kids. Constant redness in the eyes or the kids rubbing them frequently, are generally the tell tale signs that your kids must be having some discomfort with the eyes. If such thing happens, there shouldn’t be any delay on your part to take your kids to a pediatric eye doctor.

Even if your kids’ eyes looks normal, but you suspect that there are some problems, do not hesitate to consult an ophthalmologist for proper examinations. Sometimes things like family history of eye problems (including high powered glasses worn from an early age or loss of vision during childhood) can be a strong reason for an early pediatric eyecare. Post screening of your kids’ eyes, the pediatric eye doctor may suggest if there are any further diagnoses required or not.

Again, there are many cases in which the kids do not have visual clarity in one of the eyes. In simple words, the kids do not see clearly with one of the eyes because of refractive errors (spectacle number). Human brains are conditioned in such a way that if it does not receive visual images from the defective eye for a long time, eventually the brain completely “shuts off” that eye. This can lead to permanent vision loss. Often, these kinds of eye disorders go undetected as the kids learn to read and see with one eye. An early eye examination can prevent this from happening as each eye is checked separately and this problem can be easily diagnosed by the ophthalmologist.

Now we know the importance of a pediatric eye care. Even if you think that your kids’ eyes are absolutely perfect and do not have any disorders, as a precautionary measure eye examination should be routinely done. After all, your kids’ eyes are most precious to you as through these eyes they see this beautiful world. Most importantly, they see you. So why not take proper care of them?

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How To Take Care Of Children Eye Problems?

02 May 2010 by admin

In today’s world children eye problems have become increasingly common. Many pediatric eye doctors believe that this increasing eye disorders are partially because of the lifestyles of today’s children. Obviously the amount of time the children spend on computers doing their homework or chatting with friends, watching televisions or playing video games are partly to be blamed. But that’s not the only reason for children eye problems. There are some other reasons as well.

Regular Eye Check up is Vital for Kids

If your children are suffering from eye disorders then you will definitely require pediatric eye doctors or ophthalmologists who can diagnose the problems and cure them. But as parents, if you follow these steps then the chances of your children eye problems can be reduced significantly.

  • Healthy Diets for Eyecare: Healthy balanced diets that include green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach, carrots, broccoli, beetroots, green peas, tomatoes etc are good for children’s eyes. Consumption of fruits like oranges, grapefruits, mangoes, papayas etc. can also keep children eye problems at bay. Apart from these, eggs and fishes should also be a part of your children’s diet plan.

  • Fruits are Key Ingredients to Keep A Kid Healthy

  • Use of Proper Lightings: There should be adequate light behind your children’s study table. There shouldn’t be any direct glaring light. Improper lighting arrangements can put a lot of stress on the children’s eyes and can be responsible for eye disorders. Also, parents need to ensure that the reading materials are placed at least twelve to fourteen inches away from the child.
  • Watching Televisions: Ensure that the room in which the children are watching televisions should be well lit and preferably have white lights (tube lights). Television sets should be at least 4 meters away from the children. Prevent children from watching televisions at a stretch for long hours. Even though most of the television sets nowadays are engineered not to remit harmful rays, still long hours of watching can put significant stress on the eyes. That can very well translate into eye problems like burning sensation, watering, blurring visions, double visions etc.
  • Working on Computers: The eye problems that children may have from prolonged working on computers are the same as that of watching televisions for long hours. To prevent that, the monitor of the computer should be placed at the eye level or slightly lower and placed at least eighteen to twenty eight inches from the children. This will minimize the reflection and glare. Ensure that the monitor has the optimum brightness and contrast. Most importantly, encourage them to take a short break after every twenty minutes of continuous work to avoid fatigue.
  • Allergies and Common Colds: It is not abnormal for children to have allergies and common colds but do not let the children rub their eyes continuously. This can lead to certain corneal abnormalities like “keratoconus” which is a degenerative eye disorder. If required, seek immediate medical intervention from pediatric eye doctors.

  • Swimming Keeps Not Only The Kids Fit But Eyes Good Too

  • Swimming and Outdoor Sports: If your children are into swimming then ensure that they are wearing water tight swimming goggles that prevent the eyes from getting irritated because of the chlorine used in the swimming pools. Also, the chances of children eye problems like infections and allergies reduce significantly. Same applies for outdoor sports. Protective eye wears made of polycarbonate is recommended for all those kids who participate in ball games or contact sports.
  • Harmful Ultra-violet Rays: Sunlight is essential source of Vitamin D to the body. But too much exposure to bright sunlight can be harmful for the children’s eyes. To prevent the Ultra-violet rays radiated from the sun, wide brimmed hats and good quality sun glasses are highly recommended for children.

You are now aware of the basic measures that can be taken to minimize children eye problems. These are highly recommended to be followed along with the regular eye checkups for your children. Once you do that, your little ones will have healthy eyes and will be ready to take on the world!

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