Vision struggle cause dark children's future?
The health of a child is a key factor that determines the outcome in childhood achievements which is the foundation for a successful future life. Good vision is perhaps the most important parameter in all health indices which help a child in not only academic activities but also in extracurricular activities such as sports. “There are more than 100 children who come for investigations and treatment for a variety of eye ailments to the Eye Clinic at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital” says Dr. Hiranya Abeysekera, Consultant Paediatric Eye Surgeon with whom we started the health discussion today.
Q: How do you recognize whether a child is having a problem with vision?
It is not easy. But there are some reasonable clues that you can look into children to see whether they have any eye problems. School teachers are very good at picking children with visual problems. If your child’s teacher warns you to get your child’s eyes checked, please do not ignore it. Children with vision problems usually struggle to copy the blackboard when they are put in a back row. They are much comfortable in the front row. At home, some children may go very close to the television, squeeze their eyes as if they are trying to “clear” the images or they may shed tears when they try to focus. Some children with vision-related problems refuse to go out in the sun as they are sensitive to light. Children don't lie. If they say they can’t see, they can't see actually. It is the duty of adults to find out why they can’t see.
Q: Are there any long term effects of childhood eye problems?
Childhood is a lifetime opportunity. Once it is gone, it will never come back. During childhood maturation of the nervous system and visual system continues almost unto 18 years. But most of the neural maturation important for vision is complete by the age of 8 years. Therefore, if there is a disruption to the process of visual development occurs before 8 years and if it is not treated promptly it is going to give lifetime defects with the vision. So the children will be at a disadvantage position at certain exams, driving license tests and job interviews, etc.
Q: What are the reasons for children to get eye problems?
Firstly, it is because of the differences in the shape of the eyeball. I always say as each individual’s face is unique, the shape of the eyeball is also unique. What our eyeball does is it captures light rays coming from an object and focus on the “yellow spot” of the retina. The yellow spot of the retina has special nerve endings called photoreceptors and the energy in the light is converted to a nerve signal and transmitted to the special center for vision in the brain. For us to generate a clear image in the brain the focusing of light rays on the yellow spot has to be good. If the shape of the eyeball is not “normal” then focussing is also going to be erratic and the image formed is going to be blurred.
Q: What are the other causes which can result in vision problems in children?
The structure of the eyeball and its nerve connections to the brain is very important in gaining and maintaining good vision in a child. All our body organs form during our stay in the mother's womb. The formation of the eye occurs very early in the pregnancy. Infections affecting the mother during the first few weeks of pregnancy such as Rubella can cause defects in the formation of the eye. Genetic changes that affect the “manufacturing” of the eye also affect the structure of the eye and can cause problems with vision. Trauma is a more common cause that can affect the structure of the eyeball which can reduce vision. Children play with whatever they get hold of. Some things such as sharps, springs, and bullets can cause damage to the eye. Once the eye is damaged we can repair the structure to some degree but not a hundred percent. We can never restore the vision of a damaged eye.
Q: Most importantly, how do you diagnose vision problems in children?
Eye examinations are done by health professionals on children on various occasions. For example, at birth, every child’s eyes are checked by the pediatrician. Vision is checked in all grades 1,4 and 7 students in government schools. Vision can be checked in any child or an infant. There are techniques we use according to their age and abilities. There is nothing called “this child is too young to get the eyes checked”.
Q: Why do children have to wear glasses?
As I told before, problems with distant vision are common in children. What happens in “short-sightedness” or inability to see far is that their eyeball cannot focus light rays on to the retina. If there is no proper focusing on the retina, the signals to the brain are also going to be incorrect. What we are achieving with glasses is that they help the person's eye to focus properly on the retina, so the image formation on the retina is clear. Thus the brain receives a clear image that can be processed properly to give good vision.
Q: What are the advice you give to kids who wear glasses?
Kidswear glasses for reasons different from adults. Adults may wear when they read or using a computer. But kids need to improve their level of vision. So kids have to wear glasses all the time that they are awake. This helps to improve the vision at the level of the brain. Kids who don't wear glasses all the time will have problems in future events such as driving license test. Children need to see the doctor or optician more frequently also. I advise children up to 12 years to get their glasses checked every 3 to 6 months depending on their vision. Children older than 12 years can have their glasses checked nine to twelve months. This is because we need to adjust to their growth. Like any other organ in our body, our eyeball also keeps on growing. Glasses made for the size of the eyeball last year may not be suitable for this year. So we have to recheck more frequently and compensate for their growth.
Q: What happens if the thickness of the glasses increases?
The thickness of the glasses or the power of the lenses changes with their age as I have stated before. The vast majority of children will have some degree of “increment” in the power of the lenses. This is similar to the “increment” of their shoe size. We are just compensating for the growth of the eyeball to maintain good vision which is a mandatory requirement for their future endeavors. I always say if the vision is good with glasses, the power of the lenses is immaterial.
No comments:
Thank you very for your feedback