Why Should Children Have An Eye Exam?

Wellness

oi-Anjana

By Anjana Ns

Tuesday, January 24, 2012, 13:07

It was a bright July morning when Roshan learnt that this would be his first day in school. Like all 4 year olds, he was jittery about the prospect of going to a place he knew his elder brother Deepak protested going to almost every morning. He tried crying his way out of this perceived misery, but his mother"s will was insurmountable.

The car bearing little Roshan halted at the schools gates and they alighted. His mother quickly went through the motions of admitting him into his nursery class and waved him goodbye. It seemed that his mother was oblivious of his screams of agony. Before he knew it, a young lady scooped him up and sat him on a chair. Surrounding him were 14 other screaming children. Time flew by as the class engaged in nursery rhymes and soon it was time to go home.

Next day, Roshan was more composed at school. His teacher sang the familiar rhymes and he joined in. Soon it was time to draw and color. His tiny hands held crayons and moved them over the pages. He saw colors appear on the paper as if by magic. The weeks slid by and the class started to gain a more formal tone.

A year passed, and he was ushered into Kindergarten. One day, his teacher handed him a pencil. All the children were to play a game of copying what the teacher drew on the board onto his book. Roshan looked on as his teacher took a piece of chalk and drew something on the board. He strained his eyes to see what it was. It was very hazy. He rubbed his eyes and peered at the board again. He looked around. His friends were busy scribbling something in their books. He glanced at the book of his neighbor. Oh, it was an apple! He copied the figure onto his book and soon both were adding colors to the fruit. Days passed in this fashion till the teacher noticed this. “Roshan, can"t you see what I have drawn on the board?" asked the teacher; to which Roshan replied in the negative. That day, Roshan"s mother received a note from the teacher.

The next day, he was taken to see an eye doctor (Ophthalmologist). While he was waiting to see the doctor, he saw his childhood friend Allen. Allen was 3 years his senior. Roshan"s mother was talking to Allen"s mother. “Allen could not see the blackboard" he overheard the lady tell his mother. “We came here a week before. The doctor told me that Allen could not see well in one eye. Since the other eye was OK, we did not notice any problem till his handwriting became bad and he started having headaches. His grades also started slipping. His teachers were constantly complaining about his lack of interest in studies. This continued for over a year and finally our pediatrician suggested an eye exam". Roshan noticed that Allen was wearing glasses now. “How is he now?" asked Roshan"s mother. “He is much better and his grades have improved" Allen"s Mother replied.

It is often that we come across children with learning disabilities. Our first response is to brand such children “slow". In fact, decreased vision is the most common cause of poor performance in class.
Why do children nowadays have increased incidence of vision related problems? The reasons are:
1.Genetic (inherited from parents and grandparents)
2.Poor diet
3.More indoor activities like TV, computers, etc
4.Children do not play outside now. This decreases the development of far vision
5.Drugs

Today, if we walk into any classroom, at least 30% of the children will be wearing glasses. Why has this gotten so bad? What can we do to remedy the situation?

The solutions are simple:
1. If the parents have eye sight problems, make sure the child undergoes an eye exam between the age of 3 and 4 so that any problems can be properly assessed and rectified early. The eye matures at the age of 7. So, if a child is treated from the age of 4, there is enough time for the treatment.
2. If any vision problem is detected, and the doctor advises glasses, follow the advice.
3. Any squint (deviation of eyes) is a major problem. This must be treated at once.
4. Any white color on the black of the eye is a serious problem and must be taken seriously and an expert opinion must be obtained immediately.
5. Children should be encouraged to go out and play. Outdoor play causes far vision to develop and the mild sunlight exposure prevents myopia or short sight. But, do not look directly at the sun.
6. Children with short sight prefer to play indoors and gradually develop an introverted personality. So treat early.
7. Avoid too much of TV and computers. These are near objects and do not stimulate development of distance vision.
8. Some children have decreased vision in one eye only. Such children do not complain about it. So, it is better to check their vision at home by either eye covered.
9. Any child that has a learning difficulty must have a compulsory eye exam.
10. Children should have a healthy balanced diet comprising green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, carrot, fruits, oily fish and boiled eggs.
11. It is not wise to consume too much chocolates, broiler chicken, coffee, etc.

The most important thing is to check every child"s vision before admitting into LKG again before going on to Class 1.

What you can do:
Contact Dr. Ashley Mulamoottil, who is the Medical Director & Chief Surgeon in Mulamoottil Eye Hospital & Research Center, Kozhencherry, Kerala. You can also interact with him from his Facebook page.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.