Children’s eyecare

Children rarely flag up problems themselves as they don’t realize that they are seeing things any differently from those around them. But a simple visit can result in changing their learning habits, achieving better grades, better confidence, progressing into better professions, and contributing successfully to society.

But there are some tell-tale signs, such as sitting too close to the television, rubbing their eyes repeatedly, and even, bumping into things – clumsiness could be a sign that they are short-sighted.    A squint –  a lazy eye – might be picked up by a parent, but often, conditions aren’t easy to detect.

Common refractive problems include:

Myopia
Shortsightedness. The eye is longer than normal or has a cornea that is too steep so that the light rays focus in front of the retina. Close objects look clear, but distant objects appear blurred.

Hyperopia
Farsightedness. Here, the eye is shorter than normal, and light from close objects cannot focus clearly on the retina. The words on a page will seem blurry, or it will be difficult to see well enough to do close-up tasks, like threading a needle.

Astigmatism
Astigmatism distorts or blurs vision for both near and far objects. It’s almost like looking into a fun house mirror in which you appear too tall, too wide, or too thin. It is possible to have astigmatism in combination with myopia or hyperopia.