Many eye diseases in children go undetected leading to partial/complete blindness. Eye development happens majorly till the age of 7 – 10 years and eye growth stops around 18 years of age. Hence if an eye disease in not detected before tis age (especially before 7 years of age) there will be a permanent partial/complete blindness. Many times, this is also called “Lazy eye”. A comprehensive eye check up is recommended every year to detect these diseases.
Routine eye check-up: Recommended once in 6 months
Step 1: Vision and power check up
Step 2: Convergence check up
Step 3: Squint basic assessment
Comprehensive eye checkup for children: Recommended once a year
Step 1: Vision and power checking
Children need special methods to check their vision. Apart from routine adult eyecharts the Children’s OPD has special methods like Cardiff cards etc. to check vision
Step 2: Orthoptics and eye muscles check up
This can detect an obvious or hidden squint (cross eye) which may the cause of eyestrain/ headache/ lazy eye. It can also detect causes of eyestrain such as muscle weakness, accommodation or convergence weakness.
Step 3: Squint complete assessment
There are various equipment to detect squint (cross eye) which helps in decision making.
Step 4: Binocular vision checking
Both eyes together are responsible for 3 D vision. There are equipment to check if this has developed normally or not and this can be treated if detected before the age of 7 years
Step 5: Cornea mapping
Corneal conditions like keratoconus may go undetected unless investigated with special instruments like Orbscan which are highly advanced machines to map the cornea
Step 6: Retina evaluation
Retinal diseases can be detected by complete retina examination
Even 1 dioptre less power of distance vision minus power of glasses (myopia) reduces the risk of myopic maculopathy by 40% and of retinal detachment by 30%. The goal is to treat myopia, not just correct it.
A research-based approach to myopia control
Myopia (near-sightedness) is an eye condition caused by excess growth and stretching at the back of the eye. Conventional eyeglasses and contact lenses can correct blurred vision, yet do not treat the progressive nature of myopia. The higher the myopia, the longer the eye and therefore increased risk for complications that may cause serious irreversible vision loss. The sooner your child’s myopia is managed, the less the risk of developing ocular complications later in life.
Our approach to myopia management
The Myopia Control Clinic at Tirupati Eye Centre provides the latest treatments that can slow or halt the progression of myopia in children. Addressing the child’s myopia as soon as possible may reduce the chance that they will develop sight-threatening complications later in life. Children who develop myopia earlier in life are those who have large amounts of myopia are more likely to need treatment.
Myopia treatments
We offer specialized treatment options that work to slow the eye growth underlying myopia.
In addition, a child who is at risk of myopia can benefit by spending more time outdoors. An average of about 2 hours of time outdoors per day has been shown to be an effective way to prevent or slow its progression.
Our research expertise in myopia
Tirupati eye Centre Myopia Control Clinic offers the latest technology to image the eye to determine a customized treatment plan for your child. Our doctors are myopia control experts with nearly two decades of experience and in the forefront of myopia research. The clinicians are regularly called on to present at international symposia on myopia prevention, causes, and treatments. TEC continues to do research in myopia to find out the best method of preventing myopia progression.
Dr. Mohita Sharma in the National expert panel group of All India Ophthalmological society to formulate guidelines for myopia management and control.
Other eye diseases and their treatment:
Eye diseases common to children which may be missed many a times on routine examination and need comprehensive eye checkup include:
Hyperopia (Farsightedness): It is a condition where a person can see distant objects more clearly than the near objects. Infants and young children are typically somewhat farsighted, but it lessens as the eye grows. Some children can have higher amounts of hyperopia which can cause a constant blurry image in one or both eyes and prevent normal visual development.
Myopia (Near sightedness): It is a condition where a person can see near objects more clearly than distant objects. Excessive myopia in children can result in the Lazy eye (Amblyopia). Holding objects very close and squinting may indicate significant myopia.
Astigmatism: Astigmatism is a condition in which the objects at both, distance and near, appear blurred. Astigmatism often occurs with myopia or hyperopia
Amblyopia: It’s also known as “Lazy Eye”. A condition in which the vision is reduced in an eye due to the misalignment of the eyes (Strabismus). If recognized early, responds to treatment very well but if recognized late, it’s difficult to treat and children may have permanent vision loss.
Convergence is a phenomenon by which both the eyes come together during reading, many children suffer from convergence insufficiency or muscle wekness. This can be cured by simple exercises to be done on special machines like Synoptophore and RAF rule.
Allergies are common in children. They cause itching, redness and watering and can be in the form of follicles or cobblestones on the undersurface of eyelid. They require simple eyedrops to treat them.
Conjunctivitis: Conjunctivitis, also known as “Pink Eye”. The eye appears pink or red due to the inflammation of the conjunctiva. It can be either viral or bacterial infection or an allergic reaction. When a viral infection is a cause, the child may suffer from Fever, running nose.
Chalazion: It looks like a small lump on the eyelid. It may occur when a meibomian gland (an oil-secreting gland in the eyelid) becomes clogged. A Chalazion can start out as a poppy seed and grow to the size of a pea. It can occur upper or lower eyelid in one or both the eyes. It often happens more than once.
Stye: A Stye is an infection of the eyelash follicle, usually caused by bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. A Stye looks like a red, sore lump near the edge of the eyelid. It can cause swelling of the surrounding eyelid and can be quite painful.
Squint is a condition which is generally present at birth but manifests a little later in children. It is caused by an imbalance between the muscles of the two eyes. It is often ignored and needs an early treatment after proper evaluation about the type of squint. Treatment can be in the form of exercises or surgery. It is important to treat squint to prevent the development of “lazy eye”
Keratoconus is an inherent weakness of the outer black portion of cornea of the eye. As per studies it is found in 2.3 % population. However it often goes undetected in routine eye examination. As the child grows, the cornea goes on thinning and coning. Symptoms may be in the form of frequent change of glasses, high cylindrical powers which are not corrected even with glasses, eye rubbing and fall in vision. Special investigations which map the cornea such as Orbscan are needed to diagnose keratoconus. If diagnosed in time it can be stabilized by specialized treatment called collagen cross linking.
Myopia (especially high myopia more than 4 Dioptres power) is often associated with retinal holes and weak areas in retina called lattices. These if detected in a comprehensive eye check up can be lasered in time to prevent a serious condition called retinal detachment which can cause blindness.
Cataract is the clouding of lens of the eye. It cab be present since birth and is a condition that is important to detect and treat early in childhood to minimize the impact of vision loss on the child’s development.
It is a disease resulting in damage to the optic nerve. Elevated pressure is the most common risk factor. Symptoms of childhood glaucoma include-enlarged eyes, cloudiness of the cornea, sensitive to light, excessive tearing.
Also known as Retrolental Fibroplasia is a disease of eye affecting pre-maturely born babies. When a baby is born very prematurely, the retina and its blood vessels are not fully developed. Scarring in the retina usually in both the eyes follows this damage and can cause blindness.
Vitamin A Deficiency is the leading cause of preventable childhood blindness. Approximately 2.5 lakhs to 5 lakhs malnourished children in the developing world go blind every year due to Vitamin A deficiency. A well-balanced diet and rich in Vitamin A helps to overcome this issue.
Epiphora is the term for excessive tearing. It is often noted soon after birth but can be acquired later. When noted during infancy, it is usually due to the blockage of the drainage system.
Ptosis in children is caused by weakness of muscles that elevate the eyelid. A droopy eye can block light passing to the retina in the back of the eye and/or create significant astigmatism that produces a blurry image in the eye. These situations can cause lazy eye, which left untreated can further cause loss of vision.
Team: (Trained in Pediatric ophthalmology)
Dr. Mohita Sharma
Dr. Divyajyoti Arora
Dr. Insha Aftab
Dr Rashi Sharma
Dr. Vibha Singh
Eye Care Practitioner Kavita (Vision therapy and squint expert)
Eye Care Practitioner Priyanka Singh (Vision therapy expert)
Eye Care Practitioner Chayya (Vision therapy expert)
Eye Care Practitioner Dharmendra (Squint expert)
MyoSTOP Myopia Control Centre was launched in August 2023. This is the one of its kind dedicated Myopia Clinic for control of Myopia progression in children
Tirupati Eye Centre now launches the latest and safest Lasik Laser technology Teneo 2 by Bausch & Lomb with "Bladeless Flapless Touchless" Lasik laser.
Project Drishti was inaugurated in August,2023 in which Rotary Club of Noida and Tirupati Eye Centre jointly started free operation of Cataract. In the first session, 100 free operations will be done in 3 months. These operations will be done in those people who are unable to get their operations done due to lack of money.
Introducing Our Specialized Dry Eye Clinic: We're excited to announce our new clinic in which we do an advanced investigation with an equipment called IDRA which detects the level of abnormality in the tear film and we use the advanced IRPL E-Eye therapy to treat dry eye due to Meibomian gland dysfunction
We are delighted to introduce our cutting-edge Keratoconus Clinic, dedicated to providing expert care and innovative treatments for those dealing with this Keratoconus.
Dr Mohita Sharma elected as Vice President Rotary Club of Noida for philanthropic social work.
