Eye Health and Eye Examinations in Children
Eye health is of great importance for our children to grow up as healthy individuals. Vision is one of the senses that helps a child become a healthy and social individual. Considering that approximately 90% of the information that reaches our brain is through vision, the importance of healthy eyes in education and learning life cannot be denied. Healthy eyes contribute to the development of the visual centers of the brain in a developing child. Ensuring this prevents the development of 'Amblyopia', that is, 'Lazy Eye', in the child.
What Should Be the Age for the First Eye Examination? What Should Be Checked for in the First Eye Examination?
All newborn children should be evaluated by a Pediatrician, Family Physician or Ophthalmologist as soon as possible after birth, and the presence of a healthy red reflex in the eye should be determined. This reflection is the reflection of the retina (network) layer covering the back wall of the eye, and its visibility is the first important clue for a healthy eye. Failure to detect the red reflex in a newborn baby may mean cataract, a congenital disorder in the cornea (transparent) or retina layer of the eye; In this case, the patient must be evaluated in detail by an Ophthalmologist. In addition, risky babies, including those born prematurely; Those with a family history of cataracts, glaucoma (high eye pressure), retinoblastoma in childhood; Those with eye tremors (nystagmus) and those with delayed neurological development should also be seen by an Ophthalmologist as soon as possible after birth.
What is Looked at in an Eye Examination in the First Year?
The presence of a red reflex in the eye is confirmed in the first year examinations of babies. It is checked whether the child can establish eye contact compatible with his development and whether there is eye tracking. If there is evidence of shortness of eye movements or strabismus, treatment is planned. It is evaluated whether the pupils are equal and whether the response to light is normal.
The first age is a critical period for the detection and treatment of childhood cataracts. Profound amblyopia can be prevented with treatment started during this period. This age group Watery eyes are common in babies; This is usually due to congenital stenosis and obstruction in the tear ducts. Tear duct obstructions can be solved to a large extent with massage in the first year of life, but if it is not done or done late, surgical intervention may be required. Watery eyes, sensitivity to light, and cloudiness in the corneal layer may be signs of congenital glaucoma, which should be taken into consideration. Another finding frequently seen in this age group is vascular network disruptions (hemangioma) that can extend to the lids and even the forehead. These may grow rapidly in the first year of life and cause drooping eyelids and lazy eye, but their general course is to regress on their own in older ages. Again, in babies in this age group, eye examination should be performed with drops that temporarily stop the internal muscles of the eye (which are also drops that enlarge the pupil). In babies, the eye number is not zero and mostly consists of hyperopia and astigmatism components; The existence of these numbers is coordinated for the healthy development of the eye and brain. What is important is whether there are eye numbers above the numbers considered to be within the normal range or whether the existing numbers prevent the child from perceiving the world around him.
3. What to Check for in Wet Eye Examination?
This age can be considered as the first period in which children adapt to the examination and visual acuity can be determined. The child can now express his feelings and thoughts, establish a healthy communication with his environment, and is curious about what is happening around him. The child's vision level can be determined with vision charts suitable for the child. Again, in this age group, it is checked whether the eye movements are balanced and whether the child's eye numbers are within normal limits (preferably by examination using eye drops). The condition of all eye layers from front to back can be evaluated more easily by increasing the patient's compliance. Color blindness can be first evaluated at this age by using different charts depending on the child's adaptation.
What is Looked at in a 6-Year-Old Eye Examination?
This age is important in the child's education. coincides with a step, the child is starting primary school r. A cause of low vision that has not been noticed up to this point will often be noticed by the child's teachers and the child will be referred for examination. In rare cases, it will be realized too late that the child's failure at school is due to poor vision of the board and the teacher, which will cause the child at school starting age to have negative emotions about school. In this regard, confirmation of visual acuity and balanced participation of both eyes in vision is very important in children of this age group. Whether the eye movements are healthy or not and the balanced look are definitely detected at this age. It is also aimed to screen for disorders such as uveitis (inflammation of the eye), which may be silent in children in this age group. The general recommendation is to repeat this examination periodically once a year, at least every two years, in healthy children. Conditions such as refractive errors (myopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism) or amblyopia that occur at this age may be monitored more frequently, depending on the condition of the disease.
What is Looked at in a 10-Year-Old Eye Examination?
This age coincides with the beginning of the second stage in children's education. This age group can be described as the age where defects such as myopia and astigmatism occur more frequently, and therefore the examination must be repeated. With the onset of adolescence, the emotional state in this age group changes, and these children at the beginning of their teenage years may have problems starting to wear glasses and accepting glasses. The important thing is to determine the healthy eye number and find the eye number that will ensure that the child's education life is not affected. Appropriate glasses can be worn by establishing healthy communication with the child. Again, during this period, it can be observed that existing refractive errors increase rapidly with the acceleration of the child's growth. For this reason, especially those who wear glasses due to refractive error may need to be examined more frequently.
What to Check for in Examinations Between the Ages of 10-18?
Examinations for this age group are mainly carried out. It consists of tracking existing refractive errors and monitoring their changes. It has been years since the results of previously initiated strabismus treatments have been received and compiled. Glasses for refractive errors during this period While their use is common, the use of contact lenses may come to the fore, especially for sports, etc. activities. Contact lens training can be given to young people who have good self-care and can undertake contact lens care in a healthy way, but the support of the family must be sought in this regard.
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