Visual problems in the child. How to detect them?

Clarifying concepts about visual problems in the child

These are some of the most common visual disorders in children and we should pay attention to them:

• Amblyopia: it is the popular "lazy eye". It is a unilateral or bilateral reduction in visual acuity caused by inadequate visual stimulation of the brain during the critical period of visual development. Amblyopia should be detected between 2 and 4 years because if it is not identified, it can be irreversible. The sooner it is treated, the better the result.
• : deviation from the visual axis or crossed vision. It is a very obvious problem and it also causes an aesthetic defect.
• : consist of the decrease in visual acuity due to a poor focus of light rays on the retina. The three main defects are: myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. Myopia appear between 6 and 11 years and hyperopias are physiological during childhood. The latter disorder usually disappears during growth.
• Dyschromatopsia: alteration in color vision, such as color blindness. In this case, it does not require treatment, it is only good to know for professional guidance.

• Visual problems in the child If not caught early and corrected, vision defects can lead to learning and behavior problems in school.
• Parents and teachers can suspect and detect these types of problems.
• The pediatrician, with the appropriate check-ups, is key to the early diagnosis of visual problems in children.

How to detect visual problems in the child

The pediatrician is a key player in the early diagnosis of visual problems in children. From newborn and during all well-child check-ups, a series of examinations should be performed to detect serious eye problems such as congenital or retinoblastoma. When the child grows, the parents are fundamental, as well as the teachers, who realize or suspect that their child or student does not see well. Parents are not usually wrong when they suspect that their children do not see well.

The key questions to assess whether the child sees well are:

• Do you keep objects very close to your face when you try to focus?
• Do you roll your eyes?

When should I take my son to the ophthalmologist

• Read or write with difficulty getting very close to the text.
• He twists one eye when he wants to focus.
• Your eyes water, sting or red when you strain your vision.
• He states that he has difficulty seeing.
• He adopts strange positions in a sustained way unconsciously that allow him to see the images better.
• Confuse the colors with more than 4 years.
• You have attention problems.
• You have literacy problems.

DON'T PASS IT OVER ...

Having the opinion of a pediatrician provides information and also peace of mind. For this reason, it offers the Pediatric Medical Guidance Service to which we can consult at any time in case something related to the visual health of our child worries us. It is free to access for the insured.