If eye defects can be caught early, children’s education, sports and cultural life can become much better. A child’s performance at school, his behavior in the family, his future purpose and work are adversely affected. Therefore, following the birth of children, it is essential to do eye examination meticulously before infancy, kindergarten and school years. Children with medical problems (Down syndrome, premature, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, neurofibromatosis), children with a family history of amblyopia, strabismus, retinoblastoma, congenital cataract, congenital glaucoma should definitely undergo a detailed eye examination without delay.
Babies should be examined for visible structural abnormalities as soon as they are born, and pathologies such as cataracts that may cause optical media clouding should be excluded with a red reflection test in the first 3-6 weeks. In addition to the red reflection test, the strabismus examination should be repeated at vaccination cycles. If both eyes cannot look at the place being looked at together, if one of the eyes is looking at the desired purpose and the other is looking at the other side, it means that the individual has strabismus. There are different types. In strabismus that occurs in childhood, laziness develops, which is not preferred. Lazy eye is an important disorder that can be treated but can be done in childhood. Not every strabismus can be advanced in a form that parents or relatives can understand. In fact, some strabismus may not be detected even with an easy examination and further examinations may be required. Sometimes there are situations that mimic strabismus. These are called false strabismus. Pseudo-strabismus can often occur in conditions such as abnormality of the eye sockets, asymmetry, eyelid disorders and flattened nasal root. After making the differential diagnosis of these conditions that mimic strabismus, some of them will be treated for the agent, while others will be content with following the child’s development. Regardless of the type, every type of slip is valuable and a treatment and follow-up plan should be made as soon as possible. Complaints such as burning, stinging, itching, bleeding and burring in the eyes often point to the inflammation of the transparent membrane covering the eye surface, which we call conjunctivitis. Inflammations of the conjunctiva can be infectious, allergic, immunological, toxic or traumatic. Infectious ones are due to bacteria, viruses, and parasites. They mostly occur when the rules of cleanliness are not followed and the belongings of the sick people are used together. In addition, the weakening of the body increases the susceptibility to infections. Conjunctivitis that occurs in infancy can be very severe. Conjunctivitis, which is of allergic origin, usually occurs in the spring months, but can also be seen in all seasons. Itching and watering are in the foreground. Some allergic conditions can be very severe and even impair vision. Although their treatment is a problem, they should not be neglected. Inflammation of the eyelid can also cause complaints such as burning, stinging, bleeding and burrs. The most obvious features are dandruff at the base of the eyelashes, shedding of the eyelashes and redness at the edge of the lid. They can also cause secondary problems on the surface of the eyeball.
Congenital IOP is an important disorder that leads to permanent blindness if not treated early. In infancy, it causes complaints such as being affected by light, watering that is appreciated, squinting and red eyes. The transparent structure in the middle of the eye, which we call the cornea, grows and begins to thicken. When the intraocular pressure increases unilaterally, the growth in the cornea is more clearly observed. If the intraocular pressure continues to be high, cracks occur in the cornea and pitting occurs in the eye border. In other words, border cells die and their functions cannot be restored.
In children, “Head position” means that the child prefers to keep his head up, down, right, left or forward instead of keeping it straight. It is often an important condition and the cause must be found and treated. Some of the disorders that cause head position in children are as follows; Strabismus, Eye muscle paralysis, Disorders of the centers in the brain that control eye movements, Nystagmus (vibration in the eyes), Visual field defects, Distorted vision uncorrected, Uncorrected refractive errors, Low upper eyelid, Too sensitive to light
Vibrations in the eyes in the form of right-left, up-down or turning are called nystagmus. The patient cannot control these movements. Although it is mostly a disorder of the centers controlling muscle movements, it can sometimes point to cataract, albinism, glaucoma and eye border layer disorders that cause visual impairment. Although surgical attempts are made in the treatment, since the results are not satisfactory, it is necessary to take precautions in advance, especially against the types that develop due to low vision.
