Brief dictionary of children's visual health

Health is also in the eyes and today to better understand the symptoms of the most common vision problems in children we bring a brief dictionary of children's visual health. Astigmatism, strabismus, myopia, lazy eye ... We approach all these disorders that affect the sight of children to understand them better.

  • Astigmatism. It is a type of refractive error of the eye, which causes blurred vision. With astigmatism, the cornea is abnormally curved, which causes the vision to be out of focus. The cause of astigmatism is unknown, although it is known that it is normally present from birth. Frequently, astigmatism happens along with myopia or farsightedness, which we discuss later. In children, astigmatism that is not corrected in only one eye can cause amblyopia or lazy eye.

  • Congenital cataracts. It consists of the opacity of the lens of the eye (normally transparent) that is present at birth. Pediatric cataracts are not very frequent but have to be treated as early as possible, since they are an important cause of blindness. The cataracts that appear at birth or in the first years of life constitute a serious obstacle in the development of the visual system of children.

  • Squint. It is the deviation of the alignment of one eye in relation to the other, preventing the fixation of the two eyes in the same direction, at the same point in space, which is commonly known as "cross-eyed eye". Strabismus causes an incorrect binocular vision that can adversely affect the perception of depth. When strabismus is congenital or develops during childhood, it can cause amblyopia or lazy eye. Strabismus is normal in the first months of the baby, but if it lasts you should consult the ophthalmologist.

  • Congenital glaucoma. It consists of an eye disease that is generally characterized by the pathological increase in intraocular pressure, for lack of drainage of aqueous humor and results in the progressive loss of nerve fibers of the optic nerve and changes in their appearance. Glaucoma is not very common in pediatric age (affects 1 in 30,000 live newborns) but in children who suffer it can cause severe and irreversible visual loss if it is not detected and treated in time.

  • Farsightedness. It is an ocular refractive defect, almost always due to the fact that the eye is very short in its antero-posterior axis. It is a very frequent defect, although it is not progressive nor has serious repercussions. People with farsightedness have vision problems at short distances, being able to see more clearly at far distances. The eye cannot focus on objects closer to a certain distance.

  • Myopia. It is another type of refractive error of the eye and causes blurred vision. A person with myopia has difficulty focusing well on distant objects, which causes visual acuity deficit and sometimes headaches, strabismus, visual discomfort and eye irritation. Hyperopia, myopia and astigmatism are the main refractive defects or ametropias, they can be corrected with lenses and sometimes with surgery.

  • Pediatric ophthalmologist. It is the ophthalmologists (medical doctors) who diagnose, monitor and treat children's eye problems. If we suspect that the child has a vision problem, the ideal is to go to this type of specialist. Sometimes it is the pediatrician who will recommend the visit to detect a disorder in the reviews.

  • Lazy eye or amblyopia. It consists of the loss of the ability of an eye to see the details and the most common cause is strabismus and also farsightedness, myopia or astigmatism, especially if it is greater in one eye. It is essential to detect amblyopia before the age of five because children treated before recover almost completely normal vision, although they may continue to have problems with depth perception.

  • Retinoblastoma. It is a malignant tumor that usually appears during the first three years of life. The affected eye or eyes may have visual losses and the pupils turn white. The inherited form can occur in one or both eyes and generally affects younger children. Retinoblastoma present only in one eye is non-inherited and predominantly affects older children.

Remember to take your child to regular checkups and if you detect any problems with your child's vision, or frequent headaches, an ophthalmologist should do a complete exam. Do not miss it, it could be one of these child visual health problems and must be detected as soon as possible.

Photos | iStock
In Babies and more | Symptoms that may indicate visual problems in children