At Clínica Nivaria, we have a Pediatric Ophthalmology Unit with specialist ophthalmologists in childhood visual impairments. We are dedicated to the proper visual development of children, providing advanced diagnoses and treatments from the first months of life through adolescence. Pediatric ophthalmology is the specialized branch of medicine that addresses children's vision problems. Therefore, prevention and early detection of eye conditions in childhood are crucial. A child's visual acuity improves from birth and continues to change as they grow. By age 3, visual acuity reaches 50%, reaching 100% by age 5. For this reason, the first years of life, up to age 7 or 8, are critical for proper visual development. During this developmental period, it is common to detect anomalies that prevent normal visual development and anomalies that, if not detected in time, could cause irreversible consequences for life, since, for example, amblyopia or "lazy eye" is very difficult to manage after that age.
In this regard, at Clínica Nivaria our pediatric ophthalmologists are responsible for the detection of these disorders , and they emphasize that the role of parents is fundamental when it comes to observing possible problems.
When should a pediatric check-up be scheduled?
If there are no suspicious signs (eye deviations, alterations in the normal appearance of the eyes), the appropriate time to begin the first pediatric ophthalmological consultation is from 3-4 years of age, even if the child's development is proceeding normally. At this age, the child can already cooperate in a simple eye examination, and it is also an ideal time to detect early cases of amblyopia (lazy eye) or refractive errors.
What are the most common diseases in pediatric ophthalmology?
- "Lazy eye" or amblyopia. Amblyopia, or "lazy eye," is one of the leading causes of irreversible vision loss in developed countries. It must be detected as early as possible for proper management.
- Refractive errors. Refractive errors that can appear in childhood include myopia, astigmatism, and hyperopia. They cause blurred, indistinct vision. Early detection is very important because they can affect school performance, and it's important to remember that children may not complain about any symptoms.
- Childhood strabismus. Childhood strabismus is the abnormal deviation of one or both eyes in all or some gaze positions. When this occurs, the parallelism of the ocular axes is lost, altering binocular vision (3D vision). This misalignment prevents both eyes from focusing on the same point simultaneously. When this occurs in childhood, an adaptation process takes place whereby the brain selects the image of best quality and disconnects the vision of the other eye, thus avoiding the double vision that would result from not being able to see exactly the same image with both eyes.
What symptoms might a child have that would alert their parents to seek an eye exam?
- Continuous tearing in one or both eyes.
- Frequent eye discharge upon waking.
- The pupil should be black; if it is white (leukocoria) or not round, you should see an ophthalmologist.
- Drooping of one or both upper eyelids (palpebral ptosis).
- Involuntary lateral “back and forth” eye movements (nystagmus).
- In addition, parents should observe whether the child gets very close to the paper when reading or watching television, if they fix their eyes, if they rub their eyes frequently, or if they have many headaches.
