Types, symptoms and treatment of hypermetropic astigmatism in children

1 Characteristics of the disease

Modern children and adolescents are increasingly diagnosed with visual impairment. This is due to the strong overexertion of the eyes when reading for a long time and using digital devices such as tablets, computers, telephones and televisions. If earlier the children were the leader of myopia, now astigmatism is more and more common.

In this disease, the point of refraction of light is broken due to the wrong structure of the cornea. Because of the appearance of characteristic "pits" on its surface, light is fixed not in one point, but in several, because of which the shape and size of the object are distorted. Hypermetropic astigmatism in children is a combination of astigmatism and hyperopia.

Hyperopia is an eye disease in which the human eye can not normally fix the image on the retina: it is projected beyond its surface and is perceived incorrectly by the brain. In other words, children simply can not normally see objects near, and in combination with astigmatism things become almost invisible to the eyes.

The causes of the appearance of hypermetropic astigmatism in children have not been studied in detail. Scientists have proved that the disease is inherited. There is also an acquired form of the disease. It can appear due to a trauma to the eyeball or severe eye disease. First of all, this is due to the appearance of scar tissue on the eyeball.

2 Types of the disease

There are several types of hypermetropic astigmatism:

1. Simple hypermetropic astigmatism. This species is most common among children. With it in one position, the eye can normally perceive the picture, in the other the rays are refracted incorrectly, the image is fixed outside the retina and the brain is transmitted in a distorted form. With a mild form of the disease in combination with hyperopia( up to 0.5 diopters), the baby can not independently notice a visual impairment. The disease in this case does not bring any discomfort and does not require correction, but despite this, the kid should be under the supervision of an ophthalmologist in order to avoid the progress of the disease.
2. Complex hypermetropic astigmatism. With this development of the disease, visual impairment is detected immediately in two points of perception of the light beam. Thus, at any position of the eyeball, the baby will be impaired vision. With complex hypermetropic astigmatism, vision is violated to a large extent and requires correction for the full vital activity of the baby.
3. Mixed astigmatism in children. This is the most severe form of visual impairment. With her, the baby suffers not only in hyperopia, but also nearsightedness, when objects located at a distance are misunderstood. Mixed astigmatism in children leads to the fact that the eye perceives objects, but can not transfer to the brain their size and position. If you change the angle of view, the picture may become distorted and change, but everything is perceived as wrong.

3 Pathological manifestations of

Symptoms of the disease directly depend on the stage of the disease on which vision is at the moment.

With a simple form of hypermetropic astigmatism, visual impairment can be seen only with the help of special ophthalmic instruments. Because of the absence of symptoms at this stage of the development of the disease, it is usually diagnosed rather rarely.

With an average degree of illness, the baby begins to feel some discomfort during the game and especially when working with small images. For example, when folding a puzzle or reading. At the same time, when perceiving a distant object, vision is distorted insignificantly. Close objects are blurred, it becomes more difficult to perceive them. Against the background of visual impairment, headaches and dizziness occur.

With a severe degree of illness, the far-sighted child greatly loses the ability to perceive objects close to him. With this form of the disease, an unpleasant symptom such as strabismus may appear. The farsighted child tries to adjust the eye to the picture because of what the normal position of the eyeball in the orbit is disturbed. A severe degree of hypermetric astigmatism leads to the fact that objects begin to double, the baby feels pain in the eyes, strong tension during prolonged work with small images.

Far-sighted children find it difficult to learn without vision correction. They can not normally perceive letters and numbers, small pictures. Because of frequent headaches and dizziness, children can suffer increased irritability and neuroses. In some cases, sleep disturbances are observed.

4 Treatment measures

Treatment of hypermetropic astigmatism is based on the degree of disease and condition of the child.

Farsighted toddler up to 2 years does not require any correction and therapy. At this age, most of the visual impairments are due to the fact that the eyeball is not fully formed, so small children can not perceive surrounding objects on a par with adults.

After 2 years, the baby is examined by an ophthalmologist. A slight deviation from the norm - farsightedness up to 0.5 diopters and a slight astigmatism that does not interfere with the baby's activity - does not require correction. At this time, the eye continues to form, and the vision may be slightly different from the ideal indicators.

With the progression of the disease and the worsening of astigmatism after 9 years, it is mandatory to seek medical advice. Hypermethropic astigmatism can cause significant problems with health and learning.

If you have a visual impairment of more than 0.75 diopters, it is recommended to wear glasses or cylindrical( toric - as you grow up) lenses. They help the cornea to correctly transmit light, and the image is fixed exactly on the surface of the retina, and not outside it. As a supportive therapy, a course of computer vision correction can be prescribed. Wearing glasses or lenses for children with astigmatism combined with hyperopia is mandatory. First, it helps to avoid strabismus and visual impairment, and secondly, it helps to maintain optimal performance and keep up with peers.

In severe forms of hypermetropic astigmatism, surgical intervention can be prescribed.

1. Coagulation. This effect on certain points on the surface of the cornea of ​​the eye. Can be performed with a special needle( thermokeratocoagulation) or laser( thermokeratoplasty).Under the influence of high temperatures, the collagen that is contained in the cornea begins to contract, thereby changing the shape of the cornea.
2. Laser keratomileusis. At the moment, this is one of the most effective ways to treat hypermetropic astigmatism in children. During the operation with a laser, the doctor cuts the tissue from the surface of the cornea and pushes it to another area of ​​the eyeball. Then, under the cut off portion of the cornea, the middle layer is removed, and the upper layer is replaced. Thus, the surface of the eyeball is adjusted.

In the treatment of hypermetropic astigmatism in children can also be used to complete the removal of the lens and replace it with an artificial organ. Applied and implantation of phakic intraocular lens.