Health - If your child has a lazy eye – get treatment by destinationsante.com

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21 March 2010

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If your child has a lazy eye – get treatment

[22 October 2009 - 11h46]
[mis à jour le 22 October 2009 à 11h48]

It is estimated that 3% to 4% of school-age children suffer from some form of strabismus (squint). In fact, this condition remains the leading cause of loss of visual acuity in one eye among young children.

Instead of using both eyes to full advantage, children with a squint have a “dominant” eye which manages vision on its own, dealing with both near and long sight, while the other eye does no work. For the ‘lazy’ eye there is a serious risk of ambylopia developing: this is a condition characterised by a “significant loss of visual acuity”.

So-called congenital squinting usually appears around the age of 4 to 6 months, whereas a genuine accommodative squint first appears in children between 4 and 6 years old. Specialists also describe many other forms of the condition. Whether the problem is discovered by the family or a doctor during a check-up, your child will need to see an ophthalmologist. He will be able to confirm the diagnosis, look for the possible cause and put in place a strategy to correct the situation.

The earlier the diagnosis, the better the chance of avoiding the risk of ambylopia, the earlier visual acuity will be restored and the greater the chance of achieving a complete cure without relapse.

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