Children usually inherit glasses from their parents. If either parent has glasses, then there is a fair chance that at least some of your children will get it. If both parents have glasses, chances are that all children will have them too. But sometimes parents do not have glasses, apparently neither does anyone in the family, yet kids get it. This is also a possibility as heredity is not the only causative factor..
Rays of light form a point of focus on the retina, (sensitive part of eye) and the eye can see clearly without any aid. But in a myopic eye (short sightedness), the axial length of the eye is larger than normal thus rays of light do not form a point focus on the fovea, and thus objects are seen blurred. When we put a concave lens (minus number lens) in front of the eye, the rays of light falling on the eye, make a point focus on the retina thus enabling the eye to see clearly.
In a hypermetropic eye (long sightedness) the axial length of the eye is smaller hence rays of light falling on the retina do not form a point focus on the retina (fovea). But when a convex lens (plus number glasses) is placed in front of the eye, the eye can see clearly.
The cornea has 2 radii of curvature – horizontal and vertical. When these 2 are not balanced, i.e. one meridian is steeper than other, the condition is called astigmatism. The patient perceives seeing shadows around objects or straight lines appear slanting. This is remedied by adding “Cylindrical lenses” which have power only in one meridian
Usually does not disappear only because the child has been wearing glasses all the time. As illustrated earlier, having glasses is an optical phenomenon, related to the length of the eyeball. As the child grows his eye balls also increases in length and hence till he/she is 18 years (in some cases 21 years), the number does not stabilize
This is the most commonly asked questions. Just watching TV for long hour’s everyday cannot include a number in that eye. Similarly, vegetables, carrots, though contain vitamins and essential nutrients do not contribute towards needing glasses or otherwise. Similarly even if a child with glasses eats carrots regularly, the number will not disappear only because of this.
Yes. Depending upon the power of glasses whether plus or minus, your doctor will advice you regarding the wearing schedule. Remember, even by wearing glasses only some types of lazy eye can be prevented/cured.
When the number stabilizes by 18-21 years (that is, there is no change in power atleast for a year or so) laser can be utilized to get rid of glasses. It is a very safe and effective method to get rid of glasses permanently.
Allergic ocular disease is a common problem in children, often occurring in association with asthma, allergic rhinitis (sneezing and runny nose)
and atopic dermatitis (itchy rash on body).
Marked itching and redness of eyes of recurrent and chronic nature are hallmarks of internal ocular disease of allergic origin. Other non specific signs like watering,
In medical terms it is called Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis or spring catarrh. Occurs on a seasonal basis with aggravation in summer. It is common self limiting disease, seen frequently in males between ages 5 to 20 years. Exact cause is not known, but is thought to be of allergic origin mostly sunlight & dust, pollens.tinging, burning and inability to bear light are also occasionally seen.
Although there is no specific treatment it can be controlled with topical steroids. The lowest concentration for the least amount of time is used. Cold compressors and oral anti-histaminics may also be helpful. Recovery is excellent, although the course may last several years. Being a self limiting disease, it cannot be completely cured during its course, but the symptoms can only be treated to give some respite for the patient.
VKC usually does not cause blindness per se. However, there are certain complications which can be vision threatening. Constant rubbing of the eyes can render the cornea thin (outer surface of the eye) leading to a serious condition called Keratoconus. Indiscriminate use of steroids can cause ulceration (shield ulcer) which can have vision threatening consequences.
Steroids are the mainstay of treatment of VKC. Wonder drugs, they are, but can be a two edged sword. Too much &/or too long usage can harm the eye due to increasing the intra ocular pressure leading to glaucoma, opacification of lens leading to cataract, ulceration of cornea, making the eye prone to infection. All these complications though remediable to some extent can cause considerable harm leading to irreparable vision loss.
Never instill steroid drops without competent medical supervision.
Follow the schedule of dosage as prescribed by your doctor.
Maintain your follow up schedule as asked for by your doctor
In case of any untoward effect noted, contact you doctor immediately
Common causes of tearing in an infant include corneal diseases, congenital glaucoma infection and blockage of nasolacrimal duct. The later is the commonest cause.
It is through the punctum that the tears pass to the canaliculi - nasolacrimal sac& hence to the nose via the nasolacrimal duct. Often in children the obstruction lies at the level of nasolacrimal duct, thus preventing free drainage.
Conservative management consists of waiting of waiting for spontaneous resolution with regular lid hygiene & massage and occasional use of antibiotic drops.
Lacrimal sac massage is an important part of early treatment. The technique was first described by Creiger in 1923 & is called Creiger maneover. Technique consists of applying pressure over sac area the finger sliding down the nose toward the mouth. This attempts to break obstruction in the nasolacrimal duct by hydostatic pressure. 10 strokes at a time should be applied, 4 times a day (=40 stokes/day)
Several studies have documented high success rate with sac massage continued till one year of age. By one year of age, more than 96% resolve with sac massage alone
A small procedure called probing is done under GA, whereby a thin long metal probe is passed through the lacrimal drainage system in an attempt to break the obstruction. It is safe and a simple procedure and does take much time. However in some cases, if watering persists, probing needs to be repeated second or the third time.
Cases not resolving inspite of repeated probing may acquire other surgical procedures like Ballon Catheter dilatation or DCR as indicated
Your eye colour is determined by the amount of melanin in the cells of the outside layer of your iris. Everybody has roughly the same amount of these
cells - melanocytes - but the amount of melanin they contain depends on the individual.
Melanin is a natural substance that absorbs light, giving colour to hair, skin and eyes. The level of melanin we have, and our eye colour, is partly determined by our genes.
If there is a large amount of melanin in your iris cells, you are likely to have brown eyes and darker coloured skin and hair. If there is little, you are more likely to have blue eyes, pale skin and blonde hair.
The actual colour of the eyes for those with less melanin is yellow, but it appears as blue or grey because of light being reflected back by collagen. Collagen inside the iris scatters and absorbs all colours apart from blue or grey, which bounce back through the top layer of the iris.
The blind spot is the point in the eyeball at the head of the optic nerve. This is where nerve fibres and blood vessels leave the eye, and as a result there are no photosensitive cells. Any images, therefore, that are projected onto the blind spot are simply not registered by the brain.
The pupil is a circular hole in the middle of the iris which regulates the amount of light passing through to the retina. In dark conditions the pupil expands - or 'dilates' - to allow as much light as possible pass through. In bright conditions the pupil shrinks, limiting the amount of light passing through.
Our pupils also dilate when we rapidly change from 'distant' to 'near' focus, and when we are aroused by things that attract or interest us. Certain drugs may also cause dilation.
Blinking helps to protect our eyes by keeping them wet. When we blink we spread tears from one side of our eye to the other to stop them drying out.