What are the common visual defects in toddlers?

2023-11-05 00:00:21

A child’s visual defects can pose a risk to the optimal development of his or her vision. It is therefore necessary to exercise diligence to detect and dissipate them. What are the common visual defects in toddlers?

Amblyopia

Amblyopia is an eye condition that causes you to see less clearly in one eye. The amblyopic child will therefore need to use the other eye for compensation. The brain ignores the images transmitted by the impaired eye, and this gradually leads to loss of vision. If the problem is not identified and quickly corrected (before the age of 6), the lazy eye could end up losing its sight. Note that it is necessary to exercise great vigilance if the child has a family history or if he is premature.

To correct this visual defect, we mask the strong eye so that the other one is forced to work. Among the solutions, we must also list the wearing of suitable glasses. The diagnosis must be made quickly if rehabilitation is to be successful.

Strabismus

It is normal for a newborn to be cross-eyed. But if this continues to be observed after the child is 4 months old, know that it is a visual defect, and the latter can worsen over the days. Children squint when they do not have a parallel eye axis. Since they need to use the dominant eye in order to see well, the unused eye loses vision. This anomaly is caused by the existence of a visual defect in one of the eyes. It is also possible that it arises from a faulty functioning of one of these muscles which ensures the movement of the eyes.

Depending on the situation, there are multiple correction methods offered by refractive surgery. This may simply be the intermittent placement of a patch over the strabismic eye and the dominant eye. It may also involve orthoptic exercises or surgery for the most severe cases.

Hyperopia

Hyperopia makes it difficult for the child to see up close. This disease is due to the morphology of the eyes and is very common in very young children up to 4/5 years of age. But over the years, the young person grows, and the hyperopia corrects itself. The problem generally dissipates when the child is around 10 or 12 years old. Thus, it does not cause the slightest vision problem. The correction is made using glasses with converging lenses. These have more thickness in the center than at the edges.

Myopia

Myopia is characterized by a reduction in distance visual acuity. This ailment is linked to too long an eye. Myopic children tend not to see things clearly that are far from them. When myopia is not treated, it is a considerable handicap for the child’s learning. School medical visits and teachers will index the illness if the child does not mention it himself. Myopia, in general, sets its scene after the age of 5 and is treated by wearing glasses.

Astigmatism

A child suffering from astigmatism sees distorted and blurred, whether from far away or up close. He cannot clearly perceive the contrasts between oblique, horizontal or vertical lines. This is a visual disorder which is a significant handicap for learning to read. In reality, astigmatism will cause the child to confuse letters such as M and H or P and F.

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