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Retinal diseases in children: things to know

Often when people talk about retinal diseases, they assume that they are common only in adults. However, children too can suffer from retinal disorders. It is important to note here that retinal diseases in children are different from those in adults. Early diagnosis and treatment of retinal diseases may help slow or stop the progression of retinal diseases that affect children. Our retina specialists in Kolkata and other branches are experts at identifying retinal diseases and they work closely with paediatric ophthalmologists to help children get the best medical and surgical care when needed. 

Retinal diseases in children

As one of the leading hospitals in Kolkata, we share with you some important things that you should know about retinal diseases: 

1. Retinopathy of prematurity: This retinal disorder primarily affects premature infants. The smaller the baby at the time of the birth, the more likely that infant is likely to develop the condition. In premature babies, the normal growth of blood vessels is disrupted because of early birth. 

Note: Any child who has retinopathy of prematurity and has undergone treatment should have regular annual eye exams even during adulthood. 

 

2. Retinal detachment: Though rare in children, retinal detachment requires immediate medical care. It usually happens when there’s a tear in the retina. The most common cause of retinal detachment is an eye or head injury.

3. Juvenile macular degeneration: Juvenile macular degeneration causes central vision loss in children and young adults. As of now, there is no treatment for juvenile macular degeneration. 

4. Retinoblastoma: Retinoblastoma is an eye cancer that starts in the retina. In rare cases, it can affect adults. 

5. Uveitis: Uveitis is a form of eye inflammation. It affects the middle layer of tissue in the eyewall. The warning signs often show up suddenly and get worse quickly. 

How are retinal diseases diagnosed in children? 

Advances in imaging technology have made it possible for children with retinal diseases to be diagnosed early. This ensures that children receive immediate and proper treatment. There are different kinds of diagnostic tests that are recommended for young children. For some tests, children may be sedated so that diagnoses can be made

Common tests that we conduct at our hospital to diagnose retinal diseases in children:  

  • Fluorescein angiography: In this procedure, a dye is injected into the bloodstream. The dye causes the blood vessels in the back of the eye to shine while a camera-like device takes images. 
  • Electroretinography: Electroretinography is a test to measure the electrical response of the eye’s light-sensitive cells. This is mostly used to check the macula which is responsible for the central vision. 
  • Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT): This is a noninvasive imaging technology used to obtain 3D images of the retina. It gives retinal specialists a detailed 3D view of the inside of the eye. 
  • Visual field testing: A visual field test measures how much the eyes can see out of the corners. Basically, it checks for blind spots and other vision defects caused by retinal diseases.

Looking for a retina specialist in Kolkata?

We have a dedicated paediatric ophthalmology unit. To book an appointment, contact us. 

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Kids And Computer Vision Syndrome

Kids nowadays are spending more time in front of the digital screen. In fact, you will see that navigating a smartphone or a digital tablet is no big deal for kids as they are introduced to technology when they were mere babies. Being tech-savvy from an early age has its pros. Using computers and laptops help in improving the motor skills of the kids and also help in their cognitive development. This, in turn, improves the school-readiness of the kids. However, too much of anything is bad. Like adults, excessive use of computers and digital media can cause “Computer Vision Syndrome” in children too.

Computer Vision Syndrome is a group of eye issues such as nearsightedness and farsightedness, eye strain and eye fatigue, and dry eyes syndrome which occur due to spending long hours in front of a computer, smartphone, or any other digital devices.

Helping parents in Kolkata understand computer vision syndrome

We at Disha Eye Hospitals, one of the leading eye hospitals in Kolkata, are committed to helping people of all ages maintain healthy eyesight. To know more about us and our vision, visit dishaeye.org/vision

What are the causes of computer vision syndrome?

  1. When your kid is viewing computer or any digital screen for long, the eyes have to work harder. Since the visual demands of computers and digital devices are high, the eyes become susceptible to develop vision-related symptoms.

  2. If your kid has uncorrected vision problems, then that may increase the severity of Computer Vision Syndrome. Even if the vision problem is minor, it affects the comfort level of the eye when using a digital device.

  3. Reading on a computer or digital screen is different than reading books. The letters on the computer screen are not always sharply defined. Moreover, the contrast of the letters is often not adjusted well with the background; the presence of reflections and glare also make viewing difficult and strain the eyes.

  4. Kids often look at the computer or digital screen at odd angles and odd distances. They might bend their heads, bringing the eyes too close to the screen or they might even tilt their head at odd angles if their glasses are not apt for computer viewing. Older kids often bend towards the desktop screen to see the content clearly. In such cases, the posture may cause muscle spasms or pain in the back, neck, and shoulder, http://www.health-canada-pharmacy.com/tramadol.html.

Kids who spend hours staring at the computer or smartphone screen every day (particularly those who spend hours playing games) are at a greater risk of developing computer vision syndrome.

Symptoms of computer vision syndrome

Your kid might have Computer Vision Syndrome if he/she complains about the following:

  • Blurred vision (you may notice the child squinting while reading books or might have difficulty seeing what’s written on the blackboard)
  • Double vision
  • Dry and red eyes
  • Eye irritation
  • Headaches
  • Pain in the neck or the back

All these issues might affect your kid’s performance at the school. It might affect his/her studies as he will find it difficult to concentrate.

Worried that your kid might be suffering from computer vision syndrome?

If you stay in West Bengal, then we recommend that you get your kid’s eyes checked at one of our eye hospitals in West Bengal. Check the locations of our hospitals in different parts of West Bengal here http://www.dishaeye.org/contact-us

How to reduce the risk?

You may try these tips to reduce the risk of computer vision syndrome in children:

  1. Limit the amount of computer exposure: If your child spends long and continuous hours in front of the computer, encourage him/her to take a break for 20-seconds from the computer. Make him/her do this every 20 minutes. This will help in minimizing the development of eye issues.

  2. Check the ergonomics: Make sure that the computer workstation of your kid is adjusted to his/her size of the body. Also, ensure that the monitor is at least 18-28 inches away from the kid’s eyes.

  3. Check the lights: It’s important to reduce glare while your kid uses the computer. Match the lighting of the room to the computer screen.

  4. Minimise glare: Glare and reflection on the computer screen also result in eye strain. For increased comfort, install an anti-glare screen on the monitor. Also, if possible, paint the walls in your kid’s room in a darker colour with a matte finish (in case the computer is in your kid’s room). Also, don’t forget to cover the windows. You may even consider using a computer hood. If your kid wears glasses, then make him/her wear glasses with anti-reflective (AR) coating. Such glasses minimise the glare by reducing the amount of light that’s reflected off the front and back part of the eyeglass lenses.

To make sure that your kid’s eyes are fine, visit an eye doctor. If you are looking for a good eye hospital in West Bengal, get in touch with us at http://www.dishaeye.org/contact-us

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5 Things You Should Know About Your Child’s vision

Do you find your child rubbing his or her eyes vigorously or holding a book way too closely? If yes, then it important that you get your child’s eyes tested. Vision is arguably the most important of the five senses. A good vision is important for a child to perform well in sports and academics. In the early years of school, most of the things that children learn are through objects, symbols and visual elements. Though when a baby is born the doctor checks the baby’s eyes to rule out eye problems, it is important that parents make sure that children’s eyes are checked by scheduling regular appointments with the doctor.

Eye care treatment for the child

Schedule an appointment with the best eye doctors in Kolkata to keep your child’s eyes healthy

It’s important that during your child’s early formative years that you get their eyes tested regularly. Early detection of children’s vision problems means timely medical attention. Consult the best paediatric eye specialists in Kolkata at Disha Eye Hospitals, to make sure your child’s eyes are functioning properly. Besides squint, we provide treatment for other paediatric eye problems. To book an appointment online with the best eye specialists in Kolkata, visit http://www.dishaeye.org/contact-us. You can also book an appointment through WhatsApp (9433311111).

Here are a few things that you should know about children’s eye problems:

1. Good eye health begins even before birth: A child’s vision development begins before he or she is born. Often low birth weight has been associated with an increased risk of vision problems in infants. Exposure to hazardous toxins and smoking can cause can adversely affect the child’s vision development. Certain common medications can also have an effect on the eye health of the baby. It is, therefore, important that you take medicines only after consulting your gynaecologist.

2. First eye examination: It is advisable that your child has his or her first eye exam at 6 months of age. This should be followed by another examination at the age of three. Once your child starts school, you can have their eyes checked every two years until age 18. Children who wear prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses should have annual eye exams.

3. Spotting an eye problem in children: Though children are sometimes not very good expressing about the problems that are bothering them, here a few symptoms to look out for:

  • Constant eye rubbing
  • light sensitivity
  • Not able to track an object
  • Poor alignment of eyes
  • Redness in the eyes
  • Having trouble reading the blackboard
  • Sitting too close to the television
  • Squinting

4. Common eye problems in children: There are several eye conditions and diseases that can affect a child’s vision. Early diagnosis and treatment help keep your child’s eyes healthy. Here are some of the common eye problems in children:

  • Squint: A child is said to have a squint when both the eyes don’t look in the same direction. It is common in young children. However, it can occur at any age.

  • Amblyopia: This usually occurs during early childhood. In this condition, the health of one eye is better than the other eye.

  • Refractive errors: Refractive errors are the most common cause of vision problems among school-age children. A child suffers from when refractive errors when there’s a problem with light accurately focussing onto the retina. This can lead to nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. This can be fixed with the right prescription glasses.


    5. Too much screen time: As more and more children are spending hours staring at digital devices for either studying or playing, it’s important that parents keep a tab on the screen time. Increased exposure to blue light emitted by smartphones and tablets can cause computer vision syndrome and nearsightedness among other problems.

Don’t let poor vision affect your life, book an appointment with Disha Eye Hospitals

An annual eye examination can help your doctor keep track of your and your family’s visual needs. If you fear your child has an eye problem, schedule an eye exam with Disha Eye Hospitals, which have the best retina specialists in Kolkata. To know more about us, visit http://www.dishaeye.org/.

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If Your Child Has Squint, Then Read These 5 Useful Insights

If Your Child Has Squint, Then Read These 5 Useful Insights

Squint, also called as Strabismus, can occur at any age, but is particularly common in young children. Squint can be temporary i.e. it may come and go, or persist (be permanent). These 5 insights can help you confirm the occurrence of squint in your child, choose proper treatment, and lower the risks of further complications:

1. Ensuring annual eye check-up of your child:

As a concerned parent, your first responsibility is to ensure that you take your child to the eye doctor every year for a comprehensive eye checkup. Doing this will help you identify the early symptoms of squint as well as other eye complications common in young children.

You can bring your child to our eye specialists at Disha Eye Hospital, one of the leading eye hospitals in West Bengal, for a complete eye exam. Our team of eye doctors uses the latest technologies and equipment for ensuring precise diagnosis.

2. Tips to identify whether your child has squint:

Identifying squint in your child is relatively easy. The first step is to take a closer look at your child’s eye; if the eye balls are deviated from each other at all times or when trying to focus on an object, it could indicate the presence of the eye condition.

Another sign to watch out for is whether your child is tilting his/her head to one side when doing everyday tasks or not. As squint can cause double vision, your child might try to close his/her eyes to correct vision.

3. Causes of squint in children:

There are several causes of squint. In children, the eye condition can be the result of the eye attempting to correct vision problems (refractive errors) such as far sightedness (hyperopia), near sightedness (myopia), and astigmatism (uneven curvature of the front part of the eyes).

In some cases, squint in childhood can be a symptom of retinoblastoma, a rare type of childhood eye cancer. Other rare causes of squint in children include developmental delays, genetic syndromes or conditions, and certain infections.

4. Complications of squint:

One of the biggest myths about squint in childhood is that children can grow out of the eye condition. This conventional belief is discarded by eye doctors and parents. Make sure not to believe in such myths and instead start early treatment upon diagnosis of the eye condition.

Failing to address the eye condition with proper treatment can increase the risks of lazy eye. Lazy eye is when the brain stops accepting signals coming from the affected eye. Other complications of squint in younger children include double vision, vision impairment, and low self-esteem.

5. When to get medical advice?

This is one of the common questions concerning parents. It’s crucial to seek medical attention if your child is only three months or older and has a temporary squint. Also, seek immediate medical advice if you notice changes (even the most subtle ones) in the eye alignment and vision of your child. To identify vision changes, watch whether your child sits near to the screen while watching TV or brings books closer to the eyes while reading/studying.

For proper diagnosis and treatment of squint, consult with our eye care experts

From ensuring precise diagnosis to planning and choosing the right treatment option(s) such as patching of the healthy (unaffected) eye to force the use of the weak (affected) eye, our eye care specialists can help you effectively correct your child’s squint. Learn more about our paediatric squint treatment in Kolkata at http://www.dishaeye.org/content/paediatric-squint.

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Common Kid’s Eye Disorders

Common Kid's Eye Disorders

It is important to take your children for annual eye check-up to start early treatment of eye problems (if diagnosed any) and avoid further complications.

Over here we have discussed a list of common eye disorders in children. If your kid shows any of the symptoms mentioned below, consult our eye specialists.

1) Excessive tears (Epiphora):-

Watery eyes are common in babies. However, it if doesn’t pass by itself, the condition can mean serious eye complications. There are several causes of excessive tearing in babies.

The most common cause is overproduction of tears mainly due to irritation of the eyes by irritants such as dirt, pollen, and dust. Make sure that your baby doesn’t rub his/her eyes to avoid worsening of the irritation. Other causes include problems with tear ducts and eye infections such as pink eye.

One of the basic home remedies is to clean your baby’s eyelids to prevent accumulation of infection-causing discharges with filtered water and cotton.

If you stay in Kolkata, and your kid suffers from persistent watery eyes, then visit the best eye specialist in Kolkata at Disha Hospitals. At Disha Eye Hospital, our team comprises of some of the best eye specialists in Kolkata. Visit our eye hospital for a proper eye diagnosis for your kid. Learn more about us at http://www.dishaeye.org/history.

2) Dry eyes:-

Dry eye occurs when there’s insufficient lubrication in the surface of the eyes. As a result, the condition can cause irritation, burning sensation, and itchiness. Dry eyes is becoming increasingly common in kids as they spend too much time on smartphones or playing video games.

The eye condition can make it challenging for your child to play sports, read books, use a computer, and even perform well at school. If you notice symptoms such as frequent eye rubbing, and soreness and redness in the eyes, make sure to consult an eye doctor.

3) Strabismus:-

Strabismus is when the eyes are misaligned. In other words, both eyes are unable to aim at the same subject. In strabismus, one or both the eyes may turn inward, outward, up, or down. Kids can either develop the condition in childhood or be born with it.

Strabismus is linked to problems with the eye muscles. In other cases, the condition can also be caused by the brain’s control centre that directs eye movements, or the nerves that transmit information to the muscles.

Like most children, your kid may not notice changes in their vision or complain about the problem. If you notice your kid’s eyes don’t consistently look in the same direction, make sure to take medical help. Treatment options for the condition include eye patching, eye drops, eyeglasses, and eye muscle surgery.

4) Lazy Eye:-

Lazy eye, also called Amblyopia, is a condition in which one of the eyes doesn’t fully develop, causing vision impairment. As the condition affects one of the eyes, your kid may not notice changes in vision right away.

However, as a concerned parent, you can look out for several signs of the eye condition. When your child focuses on an object, notice if one eye stays focused while the other one tends to wander. If this happens, then it could be an indication of the eye condition.

5) Refractive errors:-

Refractive error (hyperopia, myopia, astigmatism) happens when the shape of the eye prevents light from focusing directly on the retina, thus leading to blurred vision. As vision develops in the early years of life, the eye condition could be serious for your child.

Refractive errors cannot be prevented but can be treated upon early diagnosis. Some of the signs of the eye condition to watch out for in your kids include holding objects too close to the eyes and inability to read distant letters.