At birth, your infant can only see in black, white, and certain shades of gray. Except things change. Their eyes are a very complex structure which helps them see and differentiate what is what. Many seem to think that an eye exam is petty or unnecessary. But as they say, there’s more than meets the eye. Eye exams should start happening from 6 months of age. This is because their eyes start to develop before birth. While a woman is pregnant, it is crucial that she knows what she is consuming. Certain types of junk foods or even medication like aspirin can harm the development of the infant’s eyes.
It’s a good idea for children 6 months to 18 years of age to get an eye exam done every year. This is to insure that their eye health is kept monitored and up to date. Therefore, you can prevent or catch certain eye issues such as Conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis otherwise known as “Pink eye” can cause inflammation to the child’s eye lid. It’s a very delicate infection because of how contagious it is. You need to wash your hands periodically otherwise another person can be harmed immediately by a touch. The best way you’d be able to treat this infection is by visiting your optometrist and getting your child prescribed antibiotics over a period of 7 to 10 days.
Another eye issue that a child is susceptible to is a Chalazion. A Chalazion is a smaller version of a Stye except, a Chalazion doesn’t hurt. It’s caused by unclean hands always exposed to your eye or buildup of dirt on the eyelashes which starts causing the oil glands to be blocked. This is common for infants and children as they are always touching what seems to be curious to them. So once you start to notice your child’s eye has developed a bump on the eyelid, take them immediately to their family optometrist.
A more serious issue is Cellulitis. There are 2 types of this infection: the first type is Orbital which is within the eye. This can cause reduced development or slow down the movement of the eyes. It’s known to be more serious of the two. The second type is Pre-Septum which is targeted towards the eyelid tissues. This type is more common amongst infants and children but is generally less serious than the first. Both of these types of Cellulitis are caused by strep throat or any other fungal infections. Unfortunately, if left untreated, it can spread rapidly to the point where your child could lose complete vision in their eye, which is why it is so important to bring your child to an eye specialist as soon as you notice something might be wrong.
Regardless of what you see on the surface, anything can be occurring on the inside. Listed above are only the few types of infections and issues that can target your children. We advise to keep a regular routine eye exam for them. This way, they can live a healthy and creative life.
Sources list:
