Ophthalmological examinations of children of preschool and school age (4+ years)

Ophthalmological examination of the child should be done as soon as possible if there is a positive family anamnesis of blindness or low vision or if you have noticed the following signs of poor vision: approaching the television screen or an object to see better, tearing, squinting, rubbing the eyes, blinking, headache, stumbling to objects, pieces of furniture and similar.

When is necessary to do an ophthalmological examination for children?

General medical screenings for children are done between the ages of 3 and 7, before going to kindergarten or school. According to the recommendation of the World Health Organization, the examination should be done by the fourth year of life in order to timely detect the uncorrected refractive error of the eye (most often farsightedness, then nearsightedness and astigmatism) in order to prevent the development of low vision in a timely manner. In children, the so-called objective determination of the refractive error of the eye, known as skiascopy is recommended due to the extremely strong ability of the eye to adapt to the focus (distance or near), the so-called accommodation in childhood.

What is skiascopy?

Skiascopy is a method in which mydriatic drops (tropicamide or cyclopentolate) block the muscles for the accommodation of the eye by dropping 4 times in a 15 minute interval in order to determine the diopter of the eyes on a wide pupil without the influence of the accommodation of the eye and based on this finding, the final diopter strength of the glasses is determined. The frequency of examinations during further time will be determined by a ophthalmologist, depending on the clinical picture and individual needs of each patient.

In the event of strabismus (farsightedness, squinting, turning the eye to the side), i.e. an error in the position of the eyes where both eyes are not in a parallel position, it is necessary to visit an ophthalmologist as soon as possible so that with timely diagnosis and treatment (correction of the refractive error, surgical treatment, eyes exercises on the coordinator, by closing the better eye, etc.) is achieved optimal visual acuity as soon as possible and enabled the smooth development of vision, the peak of which occurs precisely in this period of life, up to the age of 7. Although the treatment of strabismus sounds simple, it takes years and is not easy to carry out, as it requires the daily continuous involvement of the parents and the active participation and cooperation of the child from a very early age.

It is important to react in a time and not ignore the symptoms

Ignoring the symptoms and signs of a child's low vision can result in difficulties in cognitive and social development in kindergarten and school age and later limitations when choosing an profession.

Therefore, it is very important to detect visual impairments early, to go to an ophthalmologist immediately and enable the availability of all methods of treatment as early as possible in order to enable adequate vision rehabilitation and unhindered development of the child's vision and thereby enable a normal quality of life and development and the same conditions as for healthy children when.

Don't ignore the symptoms, react in time and make an appointment for an ophthalmological examination.