Children's eye conditions

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It is not uncommon for children to suffer problems with their eyes, and it is vitally important to detect and correct these as early as possible.

Children will often be seen by Yorkshire Eye Hospital's orthoptists, who are part of our eye care team concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of ocular imbalances and problems relating to vision. They work closely with the patient and doctor to provide a suitable treatment plan. Initial appointments for children are usually 30 minutes. Common problems affecting children include squints (strabismus), Lazy Eye (Amblyopia) and Watery Eye (Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction).

Read more about

• Squint
• Lazy Eye
• Watery Eye

Squint

A squint or strabismus is where the eyes don't point in the same direction.

Usually one eye turns in or out or sometimes up or down. Strabismus can be constant, or only present some of the time and can involve either eye. The type of strabismus can differ greatly between people. The commonest cause of strabismus is due to being long or shortsighted or muscle weakness. Strabismus can occur in families or be associated with other illnesses or diseases.

It is important that you or your child is seen by an expert in order to diagnose the type of strabismus and start the correct treatment, which may involve glasses, patching, exercises or an operation.

Lazy Eye

Amblyopia or lazy eye is where the vision in one eye (rarely both) does not develop normally.

This is usually because your child needs to wear glasses, has a squint (strabismus) or has another eye disease interfering with normal visual development. Management will involve diagnosing the reason for the poor vision and starting treatment, which may involve glasses, patching, surgery to correct a squint (strabismus) or other eye problem.

A patch is a treatment to improve the vision in an eye, which is lazy or amblyopic. The patch will cover the good or straight eye and will ensure that the child uses his/her poor eye and will allow the vision to develop normally. The patch is usually used in conjunction with any glasses, which have been prescribed.

The orthoptists or Doctor will tell you how many hours a day you will need to use the patch for your child. It is best to use the patch when the child is carrying out detailed work such as reading, writing, drawing, jigsaws, computer games etc. If your child develops a rash with the patch then a different type can be used.

Patching is most effective at a young age. By the age of approximately 8, the eyes are fully developed and it becomes difficult to improve the vision, therefore, the sooner the patching is started the more likely it will succeed.

Watery Eye

The common cause of watery eye in a small child is where the nasolacrimal duct that is the passage that carries the tears away from the eye into the nose has not developed normally.

The symptoms usually include constant watering of one of both eyes and stickiness or discharge. Normally 9 out of 10 children's symptoms clear up by themselves by the age of 12 months. However, if a child has significant problems at the age of 12 months, then treatment may be considered.