What are the main vision problems in children?

BarcelonaMyopia, astigmatism, and hyperopia are very common eye problems among the population and are usually diagnosed in childhood. In fact, one in five school-aged children requires vision correction. According to the ophthalmology department at San Juan de Dios Hospital, a child should have their first eye exam at age 3 and this exam should be repeated every year or, at most, every two years. "Early detection and treatment of vision problems can prevent the progression of vision loss and prevent disease," the ophthalmologists at San Juan de Dios explain.

What eye problems do they detect most often?

Myopia

The child doesn't see objects far away correctly. This can be detected because nearsighted people tend to press their eyes to focus better. "If they don't wear glasses, your child may appear more shy and distracted, preferring activities that require good near vision, such as reading, crafts, or painting," ophthalmologists explain.

Farsightedness

The child has a blurred perception of nearby objects. Due to eye strain, they may complain of eye pain and headaches, or experience tearing and frequent blinking. Farsighted children prefer to play outdoors.

Astigmatism

The child perceives distorted vision of objects, both near and far. This is associated with both nearsightedness and farsightedness.

Amblyopia or lazy eye

This is the partial loss of vision in one eye, affecting one in every hundred children in Spain. Although this condition cannot be corrected with glasses, it can be treated and corrected if detected before the age of seven.

Strabismus

This is an ocular deviation that involves the loss of parallelism of the eyes. That is, the child looks cross-eyed. The earlier it is diagnosed, the fewer complications the correction entails.

How can it be detected?

Although many of these disorders are usually detected at school, early signs of eye problems can also be observed at home. San Juan de Dios Hospital recommends visiting an ophthalmologist if a child exhibits any of the following behaviors:

• Sitting too close to the television.
• He complains of headache and tired eyes.
• He writes with his mask glued to the paper.
• Has difficulty reading from a distance.
• Squint to glimpse something far away.
• Loses interest in reading and studying.
• He has difficulty running and his movements are clumsy.

Most simple eye problems can be corrected with glasses. However, ophthalmologists are aware that for children, wearing glasses is not a pleasant experience: "They find it difficult to adapt to them, they forget to use them, they don't take proper care of them, or they fear being teased by their peers about their appearance." However, they insist that it is important to encourage children to wear them because it is the only way to correct their vision defect. "Choose the frame together, and buy one that suits your taste and criteria, but that is strong, stable, and versatile in case the glasses fall off while playing or jumping. Organic lenses and a comfortable bridge that adapts to their still-growing nose are the best options for children's glasses."

What are the causes?

In reality, it's not known for certain what exactly causes vision problems such as nearsightedness or farsightedness in children. Research points to environmental and genetic factors. Prolonged and continuous use of television and computers has often been attributed a harmful effect, although studies have not been able to confirm this. What is clear is that reading in dim lighting or exposure to screens causes eye strain, and therefore, it's important to correct these bad habits in children.