Paediatric ophthalmology is the branch that deals with caring for eye health in the paediatric age, the period in which sight develops. For proper vision maturation, there must be no alteration that prevents a clear image reaching the retina in each eye during the first few years of life, as this would cause amblyopia or lazy eye. Taking into account that early diagnosis of any visual alteration is so important, an eye exam for all children before they are 3 years old is recommended.
The two main problems to treat are:
Lazy eye or amblyopia: This is the reduction of sight in one or both eyes due to a lack of suitable visual stimulation during childhood, something which prevents normal visual development and maturation.
3-4% of boys and girls suffer amblyopia during childhood, and the main causes are refractive defects and strabismus.
Strabismus: it is a disorder that causes the loss of parallelism and binocular coordination of the eyes. Strabismus must be corrected early to avoid amblyopia.
Treatment of lazy eye or amblyopia
The treatment consists of intervening on its cause, as well as occlusion of the healthy eye with a plaster to force the bad eye to work for a period of time that will depend on the degree of vision and the child’s age. The younger the child, the more effective the treatment. After a certain age (8 years old, approximately) the problem is more difficult to resolve.
Treatment for strabismus
It is necessary to treat the refractive defect, the amblyopia, and if the strabismus still persists, that is when surgery is considered.
