5 Common Eye Problems in Kids

There are many different eye conditions and diseases that can affect a child’s vision. Early detection and treatment are important to avoid lifelong visual impairments. If you or your pediatrician suspects an eye problem or if your child fails a vision screening at school, then consult a pediatric ophthalmologist for further evaluation and diagnosis. By finding and treating problems early, healthy vision can be restored. Sight of the child is most important for good education and social growth.

Some of the common eye disorders and eye diseases found in children are:

Refractive errors occur when a light forming image of an object does not focus clearly on the retina. It can cause headache, blurred vision, strain, tiredness, and cross eyes. If correction of these refractive errors is not done at an early stage, a child can be left with permanently blurred vision in adulthood called amblyopia. Refractive errors are further differentiated as

When light focuses in front of the retina due to a long eyeball or high focusing power of the lens or cornea, distant objects appear blurry. These objects become clearer only when they get closer to the eye. This eye disorder is known as Myopia and may either be inherited or associated with premature birth and can occur at any age. Myopia usually progresses yearly and stabilizes by the late teens to early twenties. Diverging or negative (-) power glasses focus the light rays on the retina and improve vision. Contact lenses may be used instead of glasses if children are old enough to take proper care of them. At the appropriate age, laser surgery may be an alternative if the eyes are not still growing or changing.

Hyperopia is the refractive error of the eye where the image of a distant object becomes focused behind the retina. This condition arises either because the eyeball axis becomes too short or the refractive power of the eye becomes too weak thereby making close objects appear out of focus. This leads to eye strain, headaches, or fatigue. The symptoms of Hyperopia in children are Squinting, continuous rubbing of the eyes, lack of interest in school and difficulty in reading. Treatment of Hyperopia includes correction with converging or plus (+) power glasses, particularly when associated with crossed eyes (accommodative esotropia)

This is an eye condition where the curvature of the cornea is abnormal leading to two focal points in two different locations. This makes objects both up close and at a distance appear blurry. Astigmatisms cause eye strain and may be combined with nearsightedness or farsightedness. Astigmatism can start either in childhood or in adulthood and the symptoms include headache, eye strain and fatigue. Children with Astigmatism suffer from continuous eye rubbing, lack of interest in school and difficulty in reading. Treatment includes prescription cylindrical power glasses to help kids with astigmatism make a more crisp, clear visual connection with the brain.

Lazy eye (amblyopia) is reduced vision in one eye caused by abnormal visual development early in life. The weaker or lazy eye often wanders inward or outward. Amblyopia generally develops from birth up to age 8 years. It is the leading cause of decreased vision among children. The weaker eye receives fewer visual signals. Eventually, the eyes’ ability to work together decreases, and the brain suppresses or ignores input from the weaker eye. Rarely, lazy eye affects both eyes. It is important to diagnose and treat amblyopia as early as possible. Otherwise, a child with amblyopia will not develop normal, healthy vision.

Amblyopia can be caused by

Poor vision in one eye does not always mean a child has amblyopia. In some cases, wearing glasses to correct a refractive error in one eye can improve vision. Amblyopia is usually corrected by making the child use their weaker eye. This is often done by putting a patch over the child’s stronger eye and making the child do activities with weaker eye for a few hours every day. In some cases, eye drops can be used to blur vision in the stronger eye. Or the child may wear eyeglasses with a hazy lens that blurs vision in that eye.

It generally takes several weeks to several years to strengthen vision in the weaker eye. This therapy needs to be continued for a few years to avoid re-development of amblyopia.

This is an eye disorder where both eyes look in different directions at the same time. Misalignment of eyes at times can shift from one eye to another.

For our eyes to focus on a single object, six eye muscles work together. One muscle is involved in moving the eyes to right, another muscle is used to move the eye to the left, and there are four eye muscles that are involved in the movement of the eyes turn up, down, in and out. These muscles are controlled by the brain. Strabismus is a condition which is usually found in people with poor control of the eye muscle and is a common eye condition found in children.

Strabismus can be caused by any eye injury or as a genetic inheritance. While Strabismus is not related to any other medical conditions, children with this eye disorder may suffer from disorders such as

For children affected with Strabismus, the depth perception of the vision gets affected. In the case of adults who develop Strabismus after childhood, they suffer from double vision.

The three common forms of strabismus are:

If detected early in life, this eye disorder can be treated or reversed. However, if this condition is left untreated, this can lead to Amblyopia.

Depending on the child’s age, and alignment, the treatment differs.

Pinkeye (or conjunctivitis) is inflammation of the white part of the eye and the inner eyelids. It can be caused by allergies, irritating substances, or infection from a virus or bacteria. Pinkeye that is caused by an infection can spread easily from person to person. Children may rub their eyes and transmit the infection to other children at preschool, day care, or the playground.