Children's eye care

Children rarely say that they cannot see. A problem found early can be corrected. Left until school age or beyond, it can be harder to treat.

A smiling little girl in pink glasses — Photograph: Jackie Best, Unsplash

A lazy eye can be treated, but only while a child's vision is still developing.

A first eye check before school is wise, and earlier if there is any sign.

Netralaya has a lazy eye clinic for follow-up.

Signs to watch for

Do not wait. A baby whose eyes still do not seem to work together after a few months should be seen. So should any child whose eye turns suddenly.

One eye turns in, out, up or down.
Sitting close to the screen or the television.
Tilting the head, or closing one eye.
Rubbing the eyes, often, or complaints of headache.
Holding books very close.
A parent who wore thick glasses, or had a squint.

Lazy eye

In a lazy eye, or amblyopia, one eye sees less well because the brain has learned to favour the other. Glasses, patching of the stronger eye, or both, retrain it. This works best when it is begun early, which is the whole point of checking early.

An ophthalmologist examining a patient's eye at a slit lamp — Children's eyes are examined at the same slit lamp as adults'.

Squint

A squint is an eye that does not point where the other does. Glasses can straighten some. Others need a small operation on the muscles that move the eye. Either way, treating it protects sight as well as appearance.

What a visit is like

We make it unhurried. The eyes are tested with pictures and games for young children, and drops are used to find a child's true glasses power. If glasses are needed, the optical shop in the hospital fits them.