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The beginning of the class is a key time to carry out the annual vision controls in the youngest.
"This is extremely important because children do not always state that they do not see, either because they have always seen that way and consider it normal or because they do not know how to express it," explains Micaela Varela (MN 123761), coordinator of the Ophthalmology sector of the School Controls of the Hospital Southern University.
“We have to be attentive to signs that can guide us.
Sometimes they blink more frequently, squint to focus, wink or rub their eyes more.
They may present with recurrent conjunctivitis, recurrent styes, headaches or alterations in school performance.
When it is suspected that the child does not read well, a specialist doctor should be consulted to diagnose the cause.
A very frequent pathology is myopia
.
In these cases, when the image is formed in front of the retina due to alterations in the cornea, the crystalline lens or the axial length of the eyeball, distance vision is mainly hindered”, continues the specialist in Pediatric Ophthalmology.
“There may be other refractive defects such as farsightedness, when the image is formed behind the retina, or alterations caused by astigmatism”, she assures.
In fact, the World Health Organization observed that there is a global increase in myopia and that, if this trend continues,
by 2050, two out of three people will be myopic
.
“It was shown that during the confinement due to the pandemic, there was a greater progression of myopia by 30 to 40%.
With the greater use of screens, associated with the lack of time outdoors with exposure to natural light, there was a more pronounced increase in the progression of myopia than in previous years”, indicates the specialist.
The most common visual problems in boys
In this sense, the children's ophthalmologist at Hospital Universitario Austral also notes an increase in patients with pathologies such as dry eye, strabismus and convergence spasms.
She stresses the importance of performing ophthalmological check-ups on time, since they make it possible to detect alterations that may interfere with the visual quality of the patient.
“Although the obligatory controls are those of the newborn and at school entrance,
it is recommended to carry out controls at the beginning of classes each year
.
In this way, we make sure that the child is in adequate health conditions for its development, ”insists the doctor.
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Children have a developing visual system and, therefore, with ophthalmological controls the different maturational stages are evaluated.
“As the child grows, different aspects are examined, such as visual attitude or eye movement, which allow the doctor to know how that child's vision is developing,” she says.
“There are pathologies such as amblyopia or lazy eye, which occur when the child does not receive the necessary stimulus to learn to see and it is essential to detect them early.
There may also be other alterations, such as cataracts, retinal immaturity, infections and even eye tumors, which can put the patient's life at risk.
It is essential to carry out the control on time with a specialist doctor
”, remarks Dr. Varela.
The doctor also suggests that in the face of any alteration that the parents notice they should attend the evaluation with the doctor.
Finally, Dr. Varela recommends healthy habits that can be implemented to maintain good eye health in the youngest.
“
It is very important to have a good use of electronic devices with no more than two hours of screens a day and encourage outdoor activities with exposure to natural sunlight
associated with a healthy diet to achieve good visual development”, completes the specialist.
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