Nearsightedness
The popular name for myopia, which refers to the inability to see distant objects clearly. Nearsightedness does not usually occur in infancy but begins to appear in some children as early as age two. The number of children with the problem rises steadily, peaking during the teen years.
It is caused by a mistake in the way the eye bends the light rays that the brain translates into visual images. Normally, light rays focus precisely on the retina at the back of the eyeball. In children who are nearsighted, the eyeball is too long from front to back so that the rays converge in front of the retina. This causes blurring of objects more than a few feet away from the affected child, and the farther away the objects are, the more indistinct they are.
Symptoms
Often young nearsighted children do not realize that they have a visual problem. Symptoms include squinting, holding the head at an unusual angle, eye rubbing, sitting too close to the TV, and clumsiness. Many parents do not notice the problem until the child starts school, when it quickly becomes apparent that there are problems in seeing the blackboard. Many parents first discover a problem during a school vision screening.
Treatment
Correction for nearsightedness includes wearing glasses or contact lenses. Because a child’s eyes grow and change quickly during the first seven years of life, youngsters this age may need vision checks every six months. Because contact lens require more difficult care, they are rarely prescribed for young children.
It is caused by a mistake in the way the eye bends the light rays that the brain translates into visual images. Normally, light rays focus precisely on the retina at the back of the eyeball. In children who are nearsighted, the eyeball is too long from front to back so that the rays converge in front of the retina. This causes blurring of objects more than a few feet away from the affected child, and the farther away the objects are, the more indistinct they are.
Symptoms
Often young nearsighted children do not realize that they have a visual problem. Symptoms include squinting, holding the head at an unusual angle, eye rubbing, sitting too close to the TV, and clumsiness. Many parents do not notice the problem until the child starts school, when it quickly becomes apparent that there are problems in seeing the blackboard. Many parents first discover a problem during a school vision screening.
Treatment
Correction for nearsightedness includes wearing glasses or contact lenses. Because a child’s eyes grow and change quickly during the first seven years of life, youngsters this age may need vision checks every six months. Because contact lens require more difficult care, they are rarely prescribed for young children.
Tags: clumsiness, eye rubbing, inability to see distant objects clearly, myopia, Nearsightedness, squinting
Posted in Health and Wellness
