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Eye Examination for Children

Eye exams for children are extremely important. Historical data and research have shown that between 5 %t-10 % of children below 7 years old and 25% of school-aged children have vision problems. Early identification of a child's vision problem is crucial because, if left untreated, some childhood vision problems can cause permanent vision loss.

 

When should your child have an eye exam?

It is recommended that infants should have their first comprehensive eye exam at 6 months of age. Children then should receive additional eye exams at 3 years old, and just before they enter kindergarten or around primary 1 (at about 6 or 7 years old).

For school-aged children, the recommendation for an eye exam is every two years if no vision correction is required. Children who need spectacles or contact lenses should be examined annually or according to their ophthalmologist’s or optometrist’s recommendations.

Early eye exams also are important because children need the following basic visual skills for learning:

• Near vision
• Distance vision
• Eye teaming (binocularity) skills
• Eye movement skills
• Focusing skills
• Peripheral awareness
• Eye/hand coordination

Getting your child an eye examination

If you or your physician suspect your child has eye problems, it is best to get a referral to an ophthalmologist or optometrist for further examinations. Only qualified ophthalmologists or optometrists have specific equipment and training to help them detect and diagnose potential vision problems in children.

Be sure to tell your ophthalmologist or optometrist if your child has any particular allergy, history of prematurity, has delayed motor development, engages in frequent eye rubbing, blinks excessively, fails to maintain eye contact, cannot seem to maintain a gaze (fixation) while looking at objects, has poor eye tracking skills or has been suspected to have other visual problems by a doctor in the past.

Your ophthalmologist or optometrist will also want to know about previous ocular diagnoses and treatments involving your child, such as possible surgeries and glasses or contact lens wear. Be sure you inform your ophthalmologist or optometrist if there is a family history of eye problems requiring vision correction, such as nearsightedness or farsightedness, misaligned eyes (strabismus) or amblyopia (“lazy eye”).

Common eye problems that affect children

Besides looking for nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism (refractive errors), your ophthalmologist or optometrist may be examining your child’s eyes for signs of these eye and vision problems commonly found in young children:

• Amblyopia: Also commonly called “lazy eye,” this is decreased vision in one or both eyes despite the absence of any eye health problem or damage.
• Convergence insufficiency : This is the inability to keep the eye comfortably aligned for reading and other near tasks.
• Eye teaming problems : Many eye teaming (binocularity) problems are more subtle than strabismus
• Focusing problems : Children with focusing problems may have trouble changing focus from distance to near and back again or have problems maintaining adequate focus for reading
  
• Strabismus : This is misalignment of the eyes, often caused by a congenital defect in the positioning or strength of muscles that are attached to the eye and which control eye positioning and movement

Get your child's vision examined before school

Experts say that 80% of what your child learns in school is presented visually. Undetected vision problems can put them at a significant disadvantage. Be sure to schedule a complete eye exam for your child on a regular basis , especially before starting the school term.

Cataract

 

 

Cataract (shown in the picture) is a clouding of part of your eyes, called the lens. Your vision becomes blurred because the cataract is like a frosted glass, interfering with your sight. It is not a layer of skin that grows over your eye, as some people may have erroneously believed.

Cataract can form at any age. Cataracts which are present at birth are known as congenital cataracts. However the most common type of cataract is age related cataract. These develop as people get older. In younger people, cataracts can result from conditions such as diabetes, certain medications and other long standing eye problems.

Cataract affects your vision in various ways.

•  Blurry or misty vision
• Glasses appeared dirty/scratched
• Frequently dazzled by light, such as car headlamps or/and sunlight
• Colour vision may change, colours may appear faded

Regular eye examinations with your Optometrist can catch an eye condition at the very early stages. At London Eye, our Optometrist will check for cataract if indicated.

Call to arrange an appointment 04 645 6566

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Ocular Hypertension

Ocular hypertension means the pressure in your eye, or your intraocular pressure (IOP), is higher than normal levels. Elevated IOP is also associated with glaucoma, which is a more serious condition that causes vision loss and optic nerve damage. By itself, however, ocular hypertension doesn't damage your vision or eyes.

Signs and symptoms

You cannot tell by yourself that you have ocular hypertension, because there are no outward signs or symptoms such as pain or redness. During routine eye exams, a tonometer is used to measure your IOP and compare it to normal levels.

Causes

Anyone can develop ocular hypertension, but it's more common in people over 40, those with family history of ocular hypertension or glaucoma, and those with diabetes or high amounts of myopia/shortsightedness.

IOP may become elevated due to excessive aqueous fluid production or inadequate drainage. Certain medications, such as steroids, and trauma can cause higher-than-normal IOP measurements as well.

Treatment

People with ocular hypertension are at increased risk for developing glaucoma, so some ophthalmologists prescribe medicated eye drops to lower IOP in cases of ocular hypertension. Because of the increased risk for glaucoma, you should have your IOP measured at the intervals your ophthalmologist/optometrist recommends if you have ocular hypertension.

Dry Eye Syndrome

Dry eye syndrome is the chronic lack of sufficient lubrication and moisture on the surface of the eye. Its consequences range from minor irritations, to the inability to wear contact lenses and an increased risk of corneal inflammation and eye infections.

Signs and symptoms

Persistent dryness, scratchiness and a burning sensation on your eyes are common symptoms of dry eye syndrome. These symptoms alone may be enough for your Optometrist/ Ophthalmologist to diagnose dry eye syndrome. Sometimes, he or she may want to measure the amount of tears in your eyes.
Some people with dry eyes also experience a "foreign body sensation” – the feeling that something is in the eye. And it may seem odd, but sometimes dry eye syndrome can cause watery eyes, because the excessive dryness works to overstimulate production of the watery component of your eye's tears.

CausesIn dry eye syndrome, the tear glands that moisturise the eyes do not produce enough tears, or the tears have a chemical composition that causes them to evaporate too quickly.

Dry eye syndrome has several causes. It can occur as a part of the natural aging process, especially among women over the age 40. It can also occur as a side effect of many medications, such as antihistamines, antidepressants, certain blood pressure medicines, Parkinson's medications and birth control pills. Dry eyes are also associated with certain systemic diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, rosacea or Sjogren's syndrome (a triad of dry eyes, dry mouth, and rheumatoid arthritis or lupus).

Environmental conditions such as dry, dusty and windy climate with low humidity will also cause dry eyes. Another cause is insufficient blinking, such as when you're staring at a computer screen all day. Long-term contact lens wear, incomplete closure of the eyelids, eyelid disease and a deficiency of the tear-producing glands are other causes.

Dry eye syndrome is more common in women, possibly due to hormone fluctuations. Recent research suggests that smoking, too, can increase your risk of dry eye syndrome. Dry eye has also been associated with incomplete lid closure following blepharoplasty – a popular cosmetic surgery to eliminate droopy eyelids.

Treatment
Dry eye syndrome is an ongoing condition that treatments may be unable to cure. But the symptoms of dry eye – including dryness, scratchiness and burning – can usually be successfully managed.

Your eyecare practitioner may recommend artificial tears, which are lubricating eye drops that may alleviate the dry, scratching feeling and foreign body sensation of dry eye. Prescription eye drops for dry eye go one step further: they help increase your tear production.

To reduce the effects of sun, wind and dust on dry eyes, wear sunglasses when outdoors. Indoors, an air cleaner can filter out dust and other particles from the air, while a humidifier adds moisture to air that's too dry because of air conditioning or heating.

For more significant cases of dry eye, your eye doctor may recommend punctal plugs. These tiny devices are inserted in ducts in your lids to slow the drainage of tears away from your eyes, thereby keeping your eyes more moist.

Doctors sometimes recommend special nutritional supplements containing certain essential fatty acids to decrease dry eye symptoms. Drinking more water may also relieve symptoms.
If medications are the cause of dry eyes, discontinuing the drug generally resolves the problem. But in this case, the benefits of the drug must be weighed against the side effect of dry eyes. Sometimes switching to a different type of medication alleviates the dry eye symptoms while keeping the needed treatment. In any case, never switch or discontinue your medications without consulting with your doctor first.

Treatment of any underlying eyelid diseases, such as blepharitis, helps as well. This may call for antibiotic or steroid drops, plus frequent eyelid scrubs with an antibacterial shampoo.
If you are considering LASIK, be aware that dry eyes may disqualify you for the surgery, at least until your dry eye condition is successfully treated. Dry eyes increase your risk for poor healing after LASIK, so most surgeons will want to treat the dry eyes first, to ensure a good LASIK outcome. This goes for other types of vision correction surgery, as well.

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