Childhood Blindness
The eye is the mechanism required to relay visual images to the brain for us to see.
It requires that all components including iris, cornea, lens, retina work in a coordinated fashion to promote clear vision.
A malfunctioning of any of these parts can cause partial or total blindness or other visual concerns.
A person who is visually impaired may have problems in both the eyes, or in a single eye.
Signs And Symptoms of Blindness:
Since your children can’t express and explain their concerns properly, it can be difficult to detect and understand if your they are affected by any visual problem.
Here are some common signs of visual impairment that may cause childhood blindness that your might notice:
Pupils are unequal in size.
Pupils appear white instead of black.
Eyes don’t move when an object or face is moving in front of it.
Crossed eyes.
Eyes turn out or in.
Eyes flutter from side to side or up and down.
Eyes do not seem to focus.
Eyes bulge or bounce in rhythmic movements.
Clumsiness which is often seen as bumping into things or knocking things over.
Repeated shutting or covering of one eye.
Avoiding tasks that require good vision.
Frequently squinting and blinking.
Sitting too close to the TV, holding books too close to the face.
Face crunching and eye rubbing.
Treatment Options:
Visual impairments are very common among children, and it is extremely important to detect the cause of it at an early stage.
Here are a few things you should keep in mind:
Make sure you take an appointment with an Optometrist if you notice any of the above signs and symptoms. They will ensure proper visual progress and eye health.
The Optometrist will usually ask you about the signs and symptoms you may have noticed, and will perform several eye tests to detect the problem.
In certain eye problems, wearing glasses or contact lenses may help your child in seeing better.
Certain eye problems can be tackled by performing a surgery. In all cases, treatment of the eye problem totally depends on the cause.
In some cases, children may suffer from vision problems due to nutritional deficiencies and following a healthy diet could help solve the problem.
Cataract surgery and certain forms of medications and eye drops could also be a treatment option for some children affected by treatable forms of visual impairment including cataract, glaucoma and juvenile arthritis.
Some causes of childhood blindness may be preventable.