Eye diseases in children: list from birth to school age. Features of eye treatment in children. Basic diseases and prevention

Heading: Eye diseases

The visual apparatus performs one of the most important functions for the normal development of the child. After all, vision problems lead to visual lag. Educational games for attentiveness and preparation for school become problematic in case of eye diseases in children. There are many diseases of the visual system that occur not only in adults, but also in children. The most common diseases should be considered in more detail.

Myopia

The most common eye disease in children. Medical term myopia - myopia. Usually develops from the age of 5 years. The child gradually ceases to clearly see objects at a long distance.

Causes of occurrence in children

There are a number of reasons why children begin to develop myopia. The most common are:

1. Genetic predisposition. If a child has at least one parent suffering from myopia, then the chance of its occurrence is quite high. Therefore, parents should be prepared for such a situation and, at the first signs of deterioration in the child’s visual acuity, contact an ophthalmologist. On early stage myopia can still be completely cured.
2. Sedentary lifestyle. In such children, myopia develops several times more often.
3. Incorrect landing. If the baby sits at the table in an uncomfortable position, then while reading, writing or drawing, the visual apparatus is subject to overstrain.
4. Related or congenital diseases eye. The child may be born with congenital astigmatism or injuries spinal cord, which negatively affects the organ of vision.

Treatment of myopia

In order to cure myopia in a child, it is necessary to carry out complex therapy, which includes:

• optical correction, that is, wearing glasses;
• using special drops to train the eye muscles;
• hardware therapy.

Important to remember! - enough difficult process, so every parent should support their child during this difficult period for him!

Farsightedness

This disease in children develops as a result of the atypical structure of the visual apparatus. The baby begins to weakly see objects in front of his eyes. Reading is especially difficult.

Main symptoms of farsightedness

• the child begins to blink frequently and rub his eyes;
• when playing with small parts and when watching TV, the baby tries to move as close to objects as possible;
• when reading and looking at pictures, brings them very close to the face;
• Regular eye strain leads to headaches and moodiness in the child.

The baby may refuse to draw or read. Conjunctivitis occurs for no reason.

Treatment

Farsightedness is treated primarily by wearing glasses. An ophthalmologist may also recommend hardware therapy, depending on the severity of the disease. Complex therapy It is carried out in several courses with breaks of 3 months. If the doctor's orders are followed correctly, the prognosis is almost always favorable.

Astigmatism

- This is a violation of the shape of the lens or cornea of ​​the eye. The child experiences image distortion, which leads to loss of visual acuity. This disease can be detected in a baby by the following ailments:

• the child begins to look at objects from only one angle;
• one eye periodically closes;
• often squints and moves closer to the object of interest;
• rapid fatigue.

Due to rapid visual fatigue, the child often rubs his eyes.

Treatment

Initially, the ophthalmologist prescribes wearing glasses. The child wears them for some period. If no improvement is observed, then vision therapy is prescribed. Inspections are carried out every 3 months. The ophthalmologist must evaluate the effectiveness of treatment. If it is not effective, he changes the scheme and method of influence.

It is important to know! Astigmatism should be eliminated at the first symptoms! After all, the disease can lead to myopia and other visual disorders.

Conjunctivitis

- a disease that is inflammation eyeball. It can occur as a result of exposure to pathogenic viruses or bacteria, or as an allergic reaction.

Symptoms

This disease develops rapidly and is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• severe redness of the eyes and swelling of the eyelids;
• itching and burning visual organ;
• discharge from the eyes purulent in nature;
• enlarged lymph nodes.

The child feels constant weakness of the body and regular headaches.

Causes of the disease

Ophthalmologists distinguish between infectious and non-infectious conjunctivitis. Infectious form The disease occurs due to harmful bacteria, viruses or fungi entering the organ of vision.

As for non-infectious conjunctivitis, it develops as allergic reaction for certain chemical substances and other irritants.

It is important to know! Standard scheme There is no cure for conjunctivitis! Depending on the cause of the disease, specific therapy is prescribed.

Barley

– acute inflammation purulent in nature, which forms near the root of the eyelash.

Reasons for appearance

This disease in children usually occurs as a result of pathogenic microbes such as streptococci or staphylococci. The following ailments may be prerequisites for the appearance of barley:

It is important to know! Stye can be transmitted by everyday means! Therefore, a sick baby should have separate hygiene items for the period of illness.

Symptoms of occurrence

This purulent neoplasm is quite easy to detect. Children exhibit the following symptoms:

• swelling and redness of the eyelid;
• painful sensations at the moment of touching and blinking;
• After a couple of days, an abscess forms in the center of the swelling.

If treatment is not started, the stye will swell more and more.

Treatment

In order to eliminate the disease in a baby, you will first need exposure to dry heat. At the same time, the affected area should be treated alcohol tincture calendula. These procedures must be carried out before a formed abscess appears. After this, you should not apply heat. This may lead to the spread inflammatory process all over the eye.

The affected eye should be treated with antibacterial drops and ointments. If the disease recurs periodically, then care should be taken to increase immune system And timely treatment chronic infectious diseases.

In order to promptly detect and begin effective treatment eye diseases, you need to regularly take your child for a preventive examination to an ophthalmologist, at least 2 times a year.

Barley is far from a harmless disease; it is formed due to infection of the eyes by the staphylococcus bacterium. Hordeolum may appear on the inner and outside century. An abscess may appear in both eyes at once. How to treat stye on the eye, on the lower...

Stye on the eye with inside lower or upper eyelid medical workers called meibomite. The disease received this name because it occurs as a result of the inflammatory process of the meibomian glands. Internal stye on the eye brings much...

Purulent inflammation 90–95% of eyelash follicles are caused by staphylococci. An unpleasant disease requires treatment. Ointment for stye on the eye will help get rid of swelling, redness, tearing and the sensation of a foreign body. IN medical practice this...

Stye is an acute pustular inflammation of the edge of the eyelid. To avoid complications, you need to understand in time that you have hordeolum (the medical name for the disease), and not an ordinary pimple. A common ophthalmological pathology is provoked by inflammation...

The most important human organ- eyes. Vision pathology, especially hypermetropic astigmatism in children, significantly reduces the child’s quality of life. He does not perceive the picture exactly as on paper, he sees objects in a completely different position. What is this...

Astigmatism often occurs in early age, therefore, it is very important to make an appointment with an ophthalmologist on time and do a test for astigmatism. Eye disease is detected during a routine examination, instruments for detecting myopia and...

Children's eye diseases progress a little differently compared to adults, because eye formation continues until the age of 14.

information The main signs accompanying eye pathologies in children include anxiety, irritability, and hyperexcitability.

Main types of diseases

• Myopia (myopia). This disease is often observed in children, especially during periods of active growth. The clarity of vision of objects located in the distance is impaired, the child complains of rapid fatigue, tends to move closer to the TV or computer, and squints when watching TV programs.
• Farsightedness (hypermetropia). Children who suffer from farsightedness have difficulty writing and reading, they quickly become tired, and there are complaints about headache, there are cases of nausea. The child has difficulty seeing close objects and cannot clearly distinguish objects at a far distance.
• At astigmatism V children's eyes there are two foci that are not located in in the right place. This disease greatly affects brain cells, leading to a condition where wearing glasses does not have the desired effect (amblyopia); the disease does not allow correctly.
• most often develops at 2-3 years of age and can be either vertical or divergent. With this disease, there is no symmetry in eye movement due to a violation of the parallelism of the axes of the eyes, deterioration of vision is noted, and disturbances in the central nervous system(CNS) and childhood neuroses.
• divided into viral, allergic and bacterial. This disease is characterized by redness and pain in the eyes, sometimes even pus is released. The main symptoms include lacrimation, swelling of the eyelids, itching and dilation of the eye vessels.
• Obstruction of the lacrimal ducts() manifests itself in redness of the inner corner of the eye and purulent discharge. In this case, the outflow of fluid from the lacrimal sac is disrupted, and an inflammatory process develops.
• For damage to the cornea of ​​the eye the following symptoms are characteristic: blurred and blurred vision, pain and cutting sensations in the eyes, purulent discharge.
• Iritis (inflammation of the iris) manifests itself in redness of the sclera, blurred iris pattern, sometimes with hemorrhages. With this disease, the iris is constricted and the pupil is constricted. There are cases where the iris fuses with the lens.
• Spasm of eye accommodation (“false myopia”) is expressed by rapid fatigue and redness of the whites under any visual load. Sometimes double vision and a slight decrease in the sharpness of distance vision occur.
• Cataract (clouding of the lens) is often a congenital disease. It is characterized, first of all, by the color of the pupil - it is not black, but gray or whitish. At the same time, the child’s eyelids are inflamed, he blinks frequently, cannot hold his gaze on one object, and rubs his eyes.

Main causes of eye diseases

Many visual defects appear in childhood, and the causes of the disease can be identified at an early age, and sometimes even before birth.

important It is important to know the structure of the eye and the functions it performs in order to pay attention to external signs eye disorders: notice redness, unusual appearance, take into account the color of the pupils, etc.

Eye diseases in children are as common as in adults. The formation of a child’s visual system is influenced by many factors, such as ecology, modern technology, a woman’s lifestyle during pregnancy, and heredity. The nature of eye diseases (etiology) in children can be different: viral diseases, injuries, burns, etc.

Their reasons may be:

• genetic characteristics (cataracts, glaucoma);
• intrauterine infections;
• eating disorders;
• prolonged strain on the child’s eyes, prolonged sitting in front of the computer, insufficient lighting when reading;
• bad heredity;
• transferred ;
• ingress of foreign objects;
• playing with pyrotechnic objects without parental supervision, etc.

Diagnosable eye diseases in children can delay the baby’s development and slow down preparation for school. Poor eyesight student has a negative impact on his academic performance.

At an early stage, most diseases respond positively to treatment because visual system babies are plastic, have sufficient reserves, as they are going through the formation stage.

Common eye diseases in children

The baby inherits some eye diseases; there are also congenital pathologies, others appear due to an inflammatory process in the body. Most Frequent eye diseases in newborns are:

• Congenital cataract. Identified by the grayish tint of the pupil. In this case, cloudiness of the lens prevents light from entering the eye. Children's vision does not develop fully, the lens must be removed (replaced with an artificial one).

• Congenital glaucoma. Manifested by increased intraocular pressure, formed as a result of a disruption in the development of outflow tracts aqueous humor.
• Strabismus. In infants, the development of the nerves of the oculomotor muscles is not complete, therefore eye deviation may be observed periodically. However, when the deviations are strong and regular, it is worth visiting a doctor.
• Nystagmus. Characterized by involuntary eye movements. This deviation does not allow you to fix your gaze and form clear vision.
• Ptosis. Expressed in omission century . The main reasons are underdevelopment of the eyelid muscle and damage to its nerve. Corrected in age three to seven years through surgical treatment.

• Retinopathy premature. The full growth of retinal vessels stops. The development of fibrous tissue is observed. Accordingly, the retina becomes scarred, peels off, and blindness may occur. Surgical and laser treatments are used.

The following are typical for preschoolers:diseases:

• Strabismus. External manifestation- deviation of the eye. It is the result of disturbances in the perception of visual information and its transmission through the visual system. There is a decrease in visual acuity and disruption of communication between the eyes. The ability to perceive volumetrically is lost. Treatment is strictly individual.

• Amblyopia. The child uses one eye less often than the other. Reason: deviation of the eye to the side, blurred vision. Treatment involves training the affected eye.

• Farsightedness. It is most often diagnosed in children aged three to six years. When hypermetropia reaches 3.5 diopters and higher, glasses are prescribed.
• Astigmatism. A common cause of poor vision. There is a distortion of the image of objects as a result of a violation of the sphericity of the lens and cornea. Corrected with glasses.
• Macular degeneration. Disease hereditary predisposition. It develops slowly and can lead to complete blindness. When examined inside the eyeball, yellow , brown spots. The late stage is characterized by the formation of a focus of atrophy, stops functioning optic nerve.

Schoolchildren more often suffer from the following visual impairments:

• Accommodation disorder. Characterized by the loss of the eye's ability to clearly perceive objects at a distance. The reason is a malfunction of the ciliary muscle, a decrease in the elasticity of the lens. Often disrupted in teenagers , focusing the gaze long time at close range. This condition known as name false myopia. It is removed with special drops and gymnastics.
• Usually occurs in the period 8-14 years due to the heavy load on the ciliary body, iris, intensive growth eye. Corrected by negative lenses.

• Convergence insufficiency. This is a violation of binocular function, namely, the ability to keep the eyes on a specific object at a close distance. Due to deviation of the eye, double vision occurs. Exotropia appears spontaneously, at a moment of tension. This disease causes headaches and makes it difficult to concentrate.
• Disorder binocular vision. Receive a single full image It is binocular (both eyes) vision that makes it possible to understand an object, which is fully formed by the age of twelve. Among the causes of its violation are damage to the muscles of the eye, and sometimes general diseases.
• Destruction of the vitreousbodies. spherical shape gives the eye a glassy appearance body , which fills it from the inside. The clouded fibers of this body cause apparent dots, “floaters,” that move during eye movement. The disease is determined using ophthalmoscopy.

Frequently occurring pathologies

The result of pathologies is visual impairment and decreased vision. Congenital gross anomaliesorganvision are revealed during examination in the maternity hospital, it can be:

• absence of an eye, change in its size;
• absence, underdevelopment of eyelids;
• reduction of the eyeball;
• underdevelopment of the palpebral fissure.

According to statistics, there is one case of congenital glaucoma per 10 thousand newborns. A common pathology also includes congenital cataracts, which account for up to 60% of all pathologies in newborns.

During development, deviations such as myopia and farsightedness often occur.

A certain place is given to injuries. The following damages are identified:

• thermal - contact with boiling water or hot oil;
• mechanical (superficial, penetrating);
• radiation (exposure to infrared, ultraviolet radiation);
• chemical (burns with alkali, acid).

Taking into account the suspected disease, clinical and laboratory studies are carried out. Sometimes it is necessary X-ray examination skull, sinuses. There are cases that require consultation with other specialists, for example a neurologist.

Highlighting causes of eye disease in children, indicate:

• heredity;
• congenital diseases, such as entropion;
• eye strain;
• allergic diseases;
• different types of injury.

Frequent cases when diagnosedinfectious eye diseases in children, provoked pathogenic microorganisms. Among them:

• Conjunctivitis. Emergence inflammation of the mucous membrane is provoked by bacteria, some viruses, and fungi (much less often). May be allergic conjunctivitis. Reason The development of the disease can be: banal hypothermia, colds, often decreased immunity, dirty hands. The disease is dangerous due to complications in the form of clouding of the cornea, and then decreased vision. In weakened children, the infection can cause meningitis or otitis media.
• Blepharitis. This inflammation ciliary edges of the eyelids, which is provoked by bacteria, viruses, and fungi. There is blepharitis of allergic origin. The risk of developing an inflammatory process increases: improperly organized hygiene care, significant weakening of the immune system, common hypothermia.
• Barley. Is inflammation hair follicle on the century. Provoked Staphylococcus aureus. Often signals a decrease in the child’s immunity, about endocrine disorders, about availability chronic diseases, helminthic infestation.

Reasons provokinginflammatory eye diseases in childrenare few and well known. Highlight:

• infectious inflammation;
• traumatic injury;
• exposure to aggressive substances (alkalies, acids).

It is worth distinguishing between true inflammation and simple redness, for example, from smoke, wind, bright light, which will go away on its own.

Parents should pay close attention to this issue and periodically for preventive purposes Most diseases tend to progress quickly, and if certain symptoms occur, contacting a specialist is mandatory, including:

• double vision;
• impaired coordination of movements;
• complaints related to eye fatigue;
• squinting;
• dizziness caused by visual stress;
• ability to read only for short periods of time;
• one eye wanders;
• frequent blinking;
• the child's desire to cover his eye with his hand;
• hand-eye coordination is impaired.

An experienced doctor will accurately diagnose the disease and prescribe the necessary therapy. Corrective glasses are used quite often. Parents may be offered to educate their child in a special school, where the necessary exercises to restore vision are done.

Medical professionalism and parental responsibility can prevent the emergence and development of many diseases. Periodic monitoring of the baby's eye health is mandatory. A preventive visit to the doctor is recommended at one, three and six months, then at the age of one, three, five and seven years. Schoolchildren must have their eyes examined once a year throughout their education. If a disease or predisposition to it is detected, extraordinary examinations are carried out in agreement with the doctor.

To confirm or refute their doubts about the child’s health, parents can initially independently test the baby’s vision. For example, a baby up to one year old should react to bright light and fix his gaze on it; at 7-8 months, a child is able to react to familiar impressions. At three years of age, a test is used to recognize figures in a picture. If the child is older, you can ask him to write the letter E on the board in different positions. However, regular visits to the doctor are required.

Diagnostics at the ophthalmology center

At the ZIR clinic, you are 100% guaranteed to detect an emerging problem or confirm its absence. There is a team of professionals working here who have modern equipment from leading companies at their disposal.

For children, basic, standard and complete ophthalmological examination. At the clinic, everything starts with getting to know each other. When the little patient gets used to the doctor, the examination begins. Offered:

• measurement intraocular pressure.
• determination of the nature of vision;
• autorefractometry;
• establishing the angle of strabismus;
• visual acuity test;
• examination of the anterior segment of the eyes;
• fundus examination.

The center's methods allow:

• diagnose and treat viral infections, bacterial conjunctivitis, keratitis;
• eliminate obstruction of the lacrimal canal;
• delete foreign bodies cornea, conjunctiva;
• identify and treat astigmatism, amblyopia, myopia using hardware treatment techniques;
• perform surgical treatment of pathologies;
• observe young patients after surgery.

How to treat eye diseases in children under one year old

Having returned from the maternity hospital, parents should closely monitor the development of the baby, not missing the moments of formation visual functions. The first visit to an ophthalmologist lasts up to three months. It is during this time that most congenital diseases are diagnosed. If pathologies have not been established, the next visit to the doctor is planned when the child reaches six months and the main structures of the eye begin to mature, affecting the focusing of the image.

The first symptoms of most diseases before one year of age are:

• the appearance of strabismus;
• slow tracking of a moving object or its complete absence;
• discharge that can accumulate on the eyelids and in the corners of the eyes;
• redness of the tunica albuginea.

As a rule, the impaired function is restored adequate treatment. Therefore, you should not put off visiting a doctor and self-medicate. At the ZIP 100% clinic, after consultation, the doctor will offer the most painless and informative examination. Necessary treatment And surgery carried out by high-class specialists.

Prevention of childhood eye diseases

An effective prevention of eye inflammation is to teach your child to maintain hygiene, not to touch or rub his eyes with his hands. It is important to teach your child not to watch TV for a long time and to limit the time he plays on the computer. Such measures can protect against bacterial inflammation. Also, systematic measures of standard prevention will increase the child’s immunity, which will reduce the chances of developing most diseases. Content such prevention involves:

• frequent walks;
• playing sports;
• food enriched with vitamins;
• healthy, active image life;
• exercises that help relieve eye fatigue.

The clinic's stands and website offer parents photos of signs of certain diseases and a brief description of them, so that attention is drawn to possible deviations in time.

Many factors can predispose children to eye diseases, since the visual organ has not yet fully formed. Ophthalmic diseases can be congenital or acquired.

Eye diseases in newborns lead to a slowdown in the baby’s development, since a huge amount of information about the world around them comes through the visual organ. Diseases identified in preschool and school age complicate the learning process and lead to poor performance.

In our article we will present a list of the most common eye diseases in children.

Congenital eye diseases

The name “congenital diseases” indicates that a violation of the formation of the organ of vision occurred during intrauterine development or was inherited from parents.

1. (strabismus) – multidirectional eyes. With strabismus, the eyeballs look in different directions, making it difficult to focus your gaze. Often with strabismus, amblyopia (lazy eye) develops, i.e. one eye ceases to perform its function.
2. – an eye disease, mainly detected in premature infants. The disease is caused by cessation of retinal vascular growth and the formation of scar tissue. Vision in newborns may not be affected by early stages, or the clarity decreases. There is a risk of retinal detachment with total loss vision.
3. – a disease caused by clouding of the lens. The pupil acquires a grayish tint, the lens does not transmit rays well, so they cannot be fully reflected on the retina. Cataracts cause decreased clarity and blurred vision.
4. Congenital glaucoma is permanently increased intraocular pressure. The disease occurs due to improper development of the outflow pathways of aqueous humor. It accumulates, causing excess pressure on the walls of the eye. The eyeball becomes dense, presses, bursts, and hurts.
5. Ectropion is an inversion of the eyelids. Available cosmetic defect, as well as excessive lacrimation.
6. Entropion is the turning of the eyelids along with the eyelashes. Occurs due to excess skin or muscle spasm. Signs of mechanical irritation of the mucous membrane appear.
7. Ptosis is a symptom of a drooping eyelid. It seems to hang over the eye due to underdeveloped muscles or damage to the nerve pathways.
8. Nystagmus is a symptom in which uncontrolled eye movements occur in different planes. It is difficult for children to fix their gaze, as a result of which visual functions are impaired.
9. Color blindness is a congenital disorder of color perception, mainly in boys. It is inherited from parents who have altered genes.
10. – myopia, inherited from parents suffering from this disease. Impaired vision quality is noted from birth. Children do not see objects and do not recognize people located at some distance; they narrow their palpebral fissures when trying to fix their gaze.
11. – retinal cancer. Most cases are associated with hereditary transmission of altered genes. Symptom noted cat eye– whitish pupil, lack of reaction to light.

Infectious eye diseases

A group of infectious diseases arises due to the penetration of infectious agents into the children's organ of vision: bacteria, viruses, fungi.

Infection can occur when passing through the mother's birth canal, through contact with sick people, through infection with dirty hands, or through an internal infectious process.

1. – inflammatory disease lacrimal gland. It manifests itself as swelling in the area of ​​the inner corner, pain, stagnation of tears. Characterized by purulent discharge, which comes out profusely when pressed.
2. – inflammation of the mucous membrane. In children, the conjunctiva turns red, lacrimation appears, pathological discharge. Conjunctivitis in newborns is in most cases caused by infection from a mother with chlamydia or gonorrhea.
3. Keratitis is inflammation of the cornea. Symptoms of keratitis are redness and swelling of the organ of vision, clouding of the cornea, fear of light, increased lacrimation, feeling of a speck in the eye.
4. Uveitis is an inflammatory disease choroid. Uveitis appears in children with severe somatic diseases ( diabetes, kidney and liver diseases). There are several forms, the main symptoms of which are inflammatory signs– redness and swelling, pain, and possibly decreased visual acuity.
5. Blepharitis is inflammation of the eyelids. With blepharitis, the eyelid swells, turns red, and itches. Purulent discharge appears, sticking the eyelashes together.
6. – purulent round formation on the century. Children with stye first experience itching at the site of formation of the lesion, then pain appears, intensifying when touching and moving the eyeball.
7. - eye disease in children caused by chronic inflammation sebaceous gland century. A chalazion is similar to a stye, but the inflammatory signs are less pronounced. Prone to frequent relapses.

Childhood diseases associated with eye refractive error are detected quite early. In addition to impaired visual acuity, other symptoms are possible:

• rapid fatigue of the visual apparatus;
• redness, dryness of the conjunctiva;
• headache.

List of diseases with impaired visual acuity:

1. (hypermetropia) occurs due to a shortened length of the eye or a violation of the refractive function of the cornea. Farsighted children have trouble seeing close objects, but they can clearly see into the distance.
2. (myopia) is a refractive error, the opposite of farsightedness. Children do not see clearly in the distance, but they see well up close.
3. – the inability to focus the image on the retina at one point. This happens when one eye is myopic and the other is farsighted, and also when the eyes have varying degrees refractive errors. Children with astigmatism see equally poorly at any distance.
4. Spasm of accommodation, or. Often found in schoolchildren. A temporary spastic contraction of the muscle responsible for accommodation occurs. This leads to decreased visual acuity.
5. Convergence insufficiency is an impairment in the ability of the eyes to turn towards each other. Children with convergence insufficiency experience rapid fatigue, visual strain, and quickly get tired when reading.

Treatment and prevention

All children from pathological symptoms on the part of the visual organ, it is necessary to show it to a pediatric ophthalmologist. Early start treatment allows you to achieve complete cure for many eye diseases in children.

Conservative therapy is usually used for infectious diseases(antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, as well as anti-inflammatory drops and ointments). For dacryocystitis, massage in the affected area is effective.

In the treatment of refractive disorders, glasses or contacts are prescribed, eye exercises, hardware treatment and physical therapy. For cataracts, retinoblastoma, retinopathy, ectropion, entropion, ptosis it is prescribed surgical treatment to restore the anatomy and functions of the visual organ.

To prevent eye diseases in children, future parents should undergo examination and treatment before conception. Children should eat right, get enough vitamins, maintain hygiene, and undergo preventive examinations with doctors.

Additionally, we invite you to watch a video on childhood diseases of the organ of vision:

Tell us about eye diseases that you and your child are facing. Share the article on in social networks, it may be useful for young parents. Health to you and your children. All the best.

Poor vision at an early age significantly delays a child's development.

A sleeping child, regardless of his age, always seems small and touchingly defenseless. I really want to protect him from all dangers! But, unfortunately, some diseases cannot be avoided. Some of them pass without a trace, others leave unpleasant “memories” for many years. In order to warn severe consequences, it is necessary to detect the disease as early as possible and begin treatment.

This is especially true for eye diseases. Poor vision at an early age significantly delays the development of a child; in preschoolers, it limits the range of interests and slows down preparation for school. Visual impairment in schoolchildren reduces academic performance, self-esteem, and hinders the choice of sports and future profession.

The child’s visual system is still developing and has plasticity and huge reserves. Therefore, many eye diseases can be treated exclusively in childhood and the more successful the earlier treatment is started.

Eye diseases in newborns

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• Congenital cataract - clouding of the lens - is manifested by a grayish glow of the pupil and decreased vision. A cloudy lens prevents the penetration of light into the eye and the full development of vision, so it must be removed. After surgery, the baby needs special glasses or contact lenses, replacing the lens.
• Congenital glaucoma is characterized by increased intraocular pressure due to impaired development of the outflow pathways of aqueous humor. Influenced high pressure the membranes of the eye are stretched, which leads to an increase in the size of the eyeball, clouding of the cornea, the optic nerve is compressed and atrophied, and vision is gradually lost. To reduce intraocular pressure, special drops must be instilled regularly. If drops do not help, surgery is indicated.
• Retinopathy of prematurity is a retinal disease in which normal height its blood vessels stop, and pathological vessels begin to develop in it and fibrous tissue. The retina becomes scarred and peels off, which significantly reduces vision, even leading to blindness. Laser and surgical treatment.
  All premature newborns (born before 37 weeks of pregnancy), especially low birth weight ones and those in incubators, are at risk for developing retinopathy of prematurity and should be monitored by an ophthalmologist from 4 to 16 weeks of life.
• Strabismus is a condition in which one or both eyes deviate from the common point of fixation, that is, they look not in the same direction, but in different ones. In children during the first 2-4 months of life, the development of nerves that control oculomotor muscles, is not yet complete, so one or both eyes may periodically deviate to the side. But if the deviation is constant and severe, you should consult an ophthalmologist. Strabismus prevents the eyes from working together and developing spatial perception and can lead to amblyopia. Treatment should be aimed at eliminating the cause of strabismus (correction of visual impairment, training of a weakened muscle).
• Nystagmus is involuntary eye movements, usually in a horizontal direction, but can also be vertical or circular. Nystagmus interferes with gaze fixation and formation clear vision. Treatment is correction of visual impairment.
• Ptosis is a drooping of the upper eyelid due to underdevelopment of the muscle that lifts the eyelid, or damage to the nerve that controls the movements of this muscle. A drooping eyelid can block light from entering the eye. Treatment consists of giving the eyelid correct position using adhesive tape. Surgery carried out at the age of 3-7 years.

Eye diseases in preschool children

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• Strabismus is a condition in which one or both eyes deviate from the common point of fixation, that is, they look not in the same direction, but in different ones. It can be caused by uncorrected refractive error, decreased vision in one eye, or damage to the nerves that control the extraocular muscles. With strabismus, the image of an object falls on different areas retinas of the right and left eyes and they cannot be combined with each other to obtain a three-dimensional image. To exclude double vision, the brain removes from visual work one of the eyes. The unused eye deviates to the side. In children - more often to the nose (convergent strabismus), less often - to the temple (divergent strabismus). Treatment of strabismus must begin as early as possible. Prescribing glasses not only improves vision but also gives the eyes the correct position. If the cause of strabismus is damage to the nerves that control the extraocular muscles, electrical stimulation and training of the weakened muscle are prescribed. If such treatment is not effective, muscle surgery is performed to restore the correct position of the eyes at the age of 3-5 years.
• Amblyopia occurs when one eye is used less often than the other because it has poor vision or is tilted to the side. A persistent decrease in vision in the unused eye gradually develops. Amblyopia is treated by temporarily turning off the healthy eye and training the affected one.
• Farsightedness is the most common refraction in children 3-6 years old. Glasses are prescribed if the value of hypermetropia reaches 3.5 diopters or more or if one eye sees worse than the other. In this case, strabismus and amblyopia may develop. At the age of 6-7 years, glasses can be canceled.
• Myopia, even slight, requires glasses correction, since the child’s visual system cannot adapt to blurred distance vision.
• Astigmatism distorts images of objects located both near and far away. To correct astigmatism, complex glasses (with cylindrical lenses) are prescribed.

Eye diseases in schoolchildren

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• Myopia (myopia) is a visual impairment in which, due to an increase in the size of the eye or excessive refraction, rays of light converge in front of the retina, forming a blurry image on it. Myopia most often develops at the age of 8-14 years due to the enormous load on the accommodative apparatus and active growth eyes during this period. At the same time, the child has poor vision in the distance (written on a school board, a ball in sports games). Myopia is corrected using glasses with diverging (minus) lenses.
• Farsightedness (hyperopia) is a visual impairment in which, due to the small size of the eye or insufficient refraction, light rays converge at an imaginary point behind the retina, forming a blurry image on it. Farsightedness is the most common refraction in children under 10 years of age. With low hypermetropia, the child sees well in the distance and, due to the work of accommodation, near. Glasses are prescribed for farsightedness over 3.5 diopters, deterioration of vision in one eye, and if working at close range causes blurred vision, eye fatigue and headaches. Hypermetropia is corrected using glasses with converging (plus) lenses.
• Astigmatism is a visual impairment in which the degree of refraction of light rays in two mutually perpendicular planes differs, and a distorted image is formed on the retina. Astigmatism is associated with congenital structural features optical system eyes (usually with uneven curvature of the cornea). A 1.0 diopter difference in refractive power is easily tolerated. With more high degree Astigmatism, the contours of objects located at different distances are perceived as unclear and distorted. Complex glasses with cylindrical lenses compensate for the difference in refractive power.
• Accommodation disorder means a loss of clarity of perception when examining objects located on different distances or moving relative to the observer. It is based on a violation of the contractility of the ciliary muscle, as a result of which the curvature of the lens remains unchanged, providing clear vision only near or far.
  In a child 8-14 years old, excessive loads on the organ of vision lead to a spasm of accommodation: the ciliary muscle is contracted and is unable to relax, the lens takes on a convex shape, providing clear near vision. In this case, the child has poor distance vision, which is why this condition is also called false myopia. Spasm of accommodation is eliminated with the help of eye exercises and special drops.
• Convergence insufficiency is an impairment in the ability to direct and maintain the visual axes of both eyes on an object that is close to or moving towards the eye. In this case, one or both eyes deviate to the side, and double vision occurs. Convergence is trained using special exercises.
• Binocular vision disorder occurs when it is impossible to combine two images formed on the retinas of the right and left eyes to obtain a three-dimensional image. This may be caused by differences in clarity, size of the images, or by their exposure to different areas of the retinas. In this case, simultaneous vision occurs when two images are visible, offset relative to each other. Or, to eliminate double vision, the brain suppresses the image formed on the retina of one of the eyes (usually the worse one) - vision becomes monocular. Restoring binocular vision is a labor-intensive process that requires correction of visual impairment and long-term training. collaboration eye.