Astigmatism in children: is it treated and what is it?

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All parents want to see their children healthy and happy. And this largely depends on how the children see the world. If they complain of dizziness, complain that the objects "flow" and swim before your eyes, it may develop a visual impairment - myopic astigmatism in the child. The reason is that astigmatism occurs immediately at birth, but it can be recognized only on a routine examination with an ophthalmologist. In any case, the earlier it is detected, the easier it is to correct it.

What is astigmatism

Some doctors say that astigmatism is not a disease, rather a violation of the normal state of the cornea or lens of the eye caused bytheir deformation. If the cornea is healthy, its surface is evenly spherical. The rays of light in this case are refracted, and as parallel lines, they do not intersect, but converge at one point. And the person sees a clear clear picture. With astigmatism, the rays of light "scatter", creating several tricks at once, which is why the image floats and doubles.

Astigmatism is simple, medium or complex;farsighted, myopic( myopic) and mixed. Far-sighted astigmatism in children is when one eye sees normally, and the other sees it badly near. A complex form implies the farsightedness of two eyes and each eye has a different "plus".Myopic astigmatism is placed with myopia, when the child does not see well in the distance. In a simple form - "minus" has only one eye, in complex - both. Moreover, the "cons" of the eyes may be different.

Mixed astigmatism in children - doctors recognize this type of disease as the most difficult, when one eye sees badly in the distance, and the other - near. A child can see the same picture with different clarity from different angles, which is very dangerous: the visual system influences the general intellectual development of a person.

Fear the lazy eye! Do not underestimate astigmatism! Parents who miss time, run the risk of encountering such a phenomenon as a "lazy eye" or amblyopia. In the arithmetic progression, there is a growing risk of reduced vision, strabismus. Astigmatism can lead to constant headaches.

Why it arises

As doctors say, the main cause of any astigmatism, including myopic, is heredity. Does the family have relatives who have astigmatism diagnosed? This does not mean that the child will immediately be diagnosed. Developing dysfunction of vision can begin and to 2 and to 4 years. Infants have physiological astigmatism, which gradually passes( usually to 12 months of life) and does not require special treatment.

Acquired astigmatism is less common, and the cause is injury, eye surgery, improper hygiene, causing inflammation of the cornea. As a result, the cornea changes shape, and vision begins to "swim".

Babies who are at risk are recommended to show the oculists from three months of life, and then every two to three months - as the child grows. Recognize the diagnosis, even the most loving parents alone can not and better entrust it to specialists: children often can not realize that they see the world distorted. But what symptoms should alert parents?

Note! Parents may suspect that something is wrong late on the basis of indirect signs: the child's clumsiness, the inability to place the toy on the spot, when the child often "does not fit" into the corners.

Symptoms of Astigmatism in Children

With myopic astigmatism( nearsightedness) - vision falls, the image is distorted, but the child gets used to distortions, perceiving it for a given. Sluggishness drops, and every day the baby tenses more and more, looking at the picture in detail.

If a toddler complains of fatigue, many write off this for normal whims and unwillingness to obey. But take a closer look: what if the child strains his eyes, tries to bring the object closer to him? Signs can be complaints that it is difficult to see and even a frequent change of mood: from impotence, inconvenience, the baby starts constantly irritated for no apparent reason.

Signs of astigmatism:

• headache;
• refusal to study drawing, reading, writing;
• complaints about sore eyes;
• the child from time to time squints;
• pulls his head to see the right object.

Many parents ask: can there be an astigmatism in a child in 3-4 years. The fact is that, as doctors say, most children are born with this deviation. Therefore, a doctor can diagnose astigmatism in a child at 1 year of age. But, it is not necessary to panic, as a rule, vision is equalized and to two years it is completely restored.

For preventive maintenance, doctors recommend regular checking of astigmatism in a child up to 5-6 years of age, in order to avoid any disturbances and deviations in vision. In some cases, can be attributed to the wearing of glasses, but it is rather preventive measures.

Astigmatism test at home:

1. Let the child close one eye and look at the picture below at arm's length.
2. Ask him if he sees some lines worse than others( some lines look lighter, others are darker).
3. If so, it may be that he needs an astigmatism correction. It is necessary to check the eyesight of the child with an ophthalmologist.

Astigmatism in children is treated or not

For starters, the ophthalmologist finds out: how strong is the degree of astigmatism. If it is weak, then correction probably will not be required. But you need to visit scheduled visits to the doctor from two times a year and more often. Often this disease is accompanied by strabismus and asthenopia. In this case, the doctor conducts a detailed examination of the patient using an ophthalmometer, ascertaining the extent of the disorder. And then the child in most cases write out special glasses. The goal of any treatment with astigmatism is to stimulate inactive retinal areas to make it work.

As a rule, an ophthalmologist selects lenses with cylinders for the child. They allow you to gradually adjust your eyesight. If the case is complex or mixed, spherical cylindrical lens variants are used, which refract light rays across all meridians. As the child grows, the lens on the glasses will change, because the cylinder should be refracted depending on the degree of the patient's visual impairment.

Parents are given in the treatment of astigmatism in children no less important role: they will need to convince the child not to take off glasses, in order to achieve a better effect. As support points are usually prescribed eye massage, curative gymnastics and vitamins that strengthen the body.

Beware of advertising! Recently, contact lenses correcting astigmatism have been widely advertised. But doctors warn: the contact method brings relief only for a while, as a small patient wears lenses. But they are not a remedy. Only glasses are able to cure the eyes of children, with age correcting the vision for the better.

A radical method of disposal, however, only one - operation.
Operative treatment of astigmatism is prescribed already for adult children - after 18 years. Until this time, the human visual system is actively formed and it is impossible to interfere with the process.

Important! Learn more about how to quickly cure astigmatism.

A common method of intervention for complex hypermetropic astigmatism in children is keratomy. During the operation, the cornea is incised and the refraction of the strengthened axis weakens, as a result, vision is restored.

LASIK( laser keratomileus) is called one of the most effective methods of treatment. With the help of the laser beam surgeons gently act on the edges of the cornea and slightly touch the center. As a consequence, the cornea modifies the shape, which allows the vision to improve significantly. The operation lasts only 15 minutes, it is relatively easy to transfer, and therefore at one time it is possible to restore both eyes, if required by the diagnosis. Even severe forms are amenable to the LASIK method, for which it is greatly appreciated by ophthalmologists.

Be vigilant! The operation is possible only if the patient is 18 years old. To children of early age they are contraindicated, except for complex cases, which are discussed in advance with the attending physician.

Myths about astigmatism

Many people mistakenly believe that glasses will have to be worn for life. But the practice has many successful examples, when the patient was completely cured. Much slower the process takes place when the degree of astigmatism is serious or the form is complex. In such cases, ophthalmologists first cure the "lazy eye" syndrome, and only then they connect the laser correction. It can not be said that astigmatism is completely cured: it will not be possible to get rid of a corneal defect with conservative methods. With the help of special lenses, doctors can only improve visual acuity by mobilizing structures within the eye and making the focus clear. You can speak about complete cure only after surgical intervention.

One time the glasses "laser-visc" were very popular. Polydiaphragmatic glasses promise in advertising the complete disposal of astigmatism. But, it is worthwhile to realize: the promise of producers is nothing more than an advertising move. However, the doctors also did not find any harm from the "laser-vision".

Bioadditives are not medicines! Be careful with blueberry-based products. These are conventional dietary supplements that have not been clinically tested, they are not medicines in pediatric ophthalmology, so waiting for miracles from tablets is not necessary.

Preventive measures

Physicians are advised to give their eyes a few minutes a day to minimize the risk of developing astigmatism. Gymnastics for the eyes with astigmatism in children is simple, it can train a child of almost any age and as a game, giving 10-15 minutes a day, strengthen the eye muscles.

To avoid the risk of myopic astigmatism, it is important to learn with children:

• often blink;
• make turns with the eyes left and right, up and down;
• fixing eyes on the subject, alternating distant and near;
• to approach and remove a finger from the eyes, alternating exercises with rest with closed eyes;
• for 7 seconds screwed up your eyes, and then open them. Repeat the exercise several times in a row;
• massage eyelids with your thumbs clockwise.

An important rule of exercise: perform every day. Doctors remind: half of success is regularity and perseverance.

The main thing in the fight against myopic astigmatism: the system and regularity. Do gymnastics eyes, see a doctor and your child will always return the opportunity to see the world in full light and enjoy bright clear pictures!