Eye Care and Surgery for Kids
All ophthalmologists have training in children's eye problems, but the pediatric ophthalmologist has had additional training and practice in examining children and caring for their eye problems. If your pediatrician suggests that your child needs his or her eyes checked, a pediatric ophthalmologist will have the greatest knowledge of the possible conditions and the greatest experience in examining children effectively.
When should a child wear eyeglasses?
There are several indications for which a child needs glasses. Eyeglasses can provide clearer or better vision that would help him with his tasks. It can help a child straighten his eyes when they are crossed in or deviated out. It can strengthen the weak or lazy eye.
Cross-eyes (Strabismus) Strabismus is a condition in which the eyeballs are not aligned and point towards different directions. One eye may look straight while the other eye deviates inward (esotropia), outward (exotropia), upward (hypertropia) or downward (hypotropia). The straight eye may also turn in while the deviated eye can look straight. It may be constant or it may come and go. Children are often born with the condition but strabismus can also be acquired later in life.
In some cases, eyeglasses can be prescribed to straighten eyes. Other treatments may involve eye muscle surgery, prism glasses and Botox injections.
It is never too late to treat strabismus. Children and adults do not need to live with the discomfort and problems caused by misaligned eyes. With the ophthalmologist's help, surgery or a combination of other treatment methods can improve the symptoms associated with strabismus. Strabismus surgery or Eye muscle surgery is the most common treatment for strabismus. Typically, strabismus occurs when the muscles surrounding the eyes are either too strong/stiff or too weak. An ophthalmologist can surgically loosen the strong /stiff muscle or tighten the weak muscle so that the eyes can be rebalanced to work together. Strabismus surgery is usually performed on an outpatient basis using general or local anesthesia. In adults, adjustable suture technique may be offered. To obtain more precise alignment, this technique allows eye adjustment when the patient is fully awake. Using eye-drop anesthesia, the sutures are tied and untied to "fine-tune" the alignment. Prism eyeglasses can correct mild double vision associated with adult strabismus. A prism is a clear wedge-shaped lens that displaces the image on the deviated eye to realign with the straight eye. The prisms can be worn on the outside of the eyeglass frame like a sticker or it can be manufactured directly into the lens itself. Botox injections. If an "over-reactive" eye muscle is the cause of strabismus, Botox injection can stabilize the muscle and relieve the symptoms of strabismus. Botox is a drug that when injected in small amounts temporarily paralyzes or weaken muscles. When injected into the eye muscle, the effects can last several months and may even result in a permanent change in eye alignment. |
|