Childhood is one of the most sensitive periods. Before we create our protective shield against things that can attack directly, in the long term, we are exposed to all of these.
On top of that, in the world of technology and digitization of life, our children's eyes are more prone to developing refractive errors or eye problems – much faster than they would have been 20 years ago.
Therefore, this is an important factor to see how important the ophthalmological consultation is for children.
When should the first eye consultation be done?
The first thing we need to understand as parents is that we should never wait for the "right time" to take our child for an eye exam. We don't have to wait for the child to tell us about a vision problem.
The sooner vision problems in children are detected, the easier and faster they can be treated, before long-term eye health deteriorates. This is a good reason why a first ophthalmological consultation at birth is recommended. Following that, parents should take care to follow periodic consultations, as follows:
- at 6 months;
- at 1 year;
- at 3-4 years;
- annually after age 5.
Why are periodic visits recommended?
Periodic visits are recommended because little ones cannot accurately assess their symptoms. They are in the developmental stage, accumulating new information about how reality feels. Thus, they cannot find a comparison term to observe on their own the symptoms they are experiencing.
Sometimes these problems cannot even be detected by the parent. Because the child can hide dioptres or problems very easily during the development period.
However, what would be the symptoms that would show me my child's vision problems?
- frequent headaches – as in adults, this occurs as a result of the additional effort made by the child to clarify his defective vision;
- closing one eye while watching TV, for example – failure to treat visual impairment in time can lead to amblyopia ("lazy eye").
- tilting of the head - it can be a sign of muscle imbalance of the eyes or it can even lead to strabismus;
- the need to point with the finger when reading - even if this can be a normal impulse, it can also hide a vision problem (for example, the phenomenon of letter crowding appears);
- photosensitivity – in the case of exotropia, a form of strabismus, they tend to be disturbed by exposure to excessive light.
Educating parents about vision care is a new course.
Until now, the idea of taking your child to the ophthalmologist when they have a visible symptom was normal. But considering today's society, periodic eye consultation necessary and vital.
Schedule your child for an ophthalmological check-up so we can put problems and worries aside.
