Expert Care for Your Child’s Vision Development.

Doctors for babies are known as pediatric ophthalmologists

Pediatric ophthalmology deals with diagnosing, preventing and treating eye problems that cause vision problems in children.

A paediatric optometrist is trained while working under or with a paediatric eye specialist.

All children of 2.5-3 years of age should have a baseline eye examination, irrespective of any symptoms. Do not ignore the complaints of eye-ache, difficulty in reading, sore/irritated eyes, tiredness in kids- consult a paediatric ophthalmologist to get an accurate idea of the problem and later, if necessary, treatment too.
In the case of newborns, a baseline eye health screening is required to be done by the treating paediatrician. This needs to be done at birth and later in infancy, between 6-12 months of life. In high-risk newborns, who were either born premature or had other systemic risks like sepsis, low birth weight, etc., the paediatrician seeks the help of a trained eye specialist (preferably retina specialist/paediatric ophthalmologist) to screen for retinopathy of prematurity, in the first few weeks after birth.

It is a fact that most ophthalmologists are surgeons as well.

Yes, squint surgeries done in hospitals with expert doctors and infrastructure are safe. Squint correction surgery corrects the vision defect in children. Surgery is recommended if other methods are not suitable for treatment for squint eyes. A paediatric ophthalmologist will do a comprehensive eye checkup of your child before starting treatment for squint. Centre for Sight provides treatment for squint eyes. The need for squint correction should be detected at the right time. The systemic fitness of the child/patient is evaluated with the help of a physician and the anesthetist-in charge.

The success rate of strabismus surgery or squint surgery depends upon the type of squint. India’s renowned eye care provider Centre for Sight provides squint eye treatment (cross-eyed treatment).

Strabismus surgery aims to improve or reduce squint. In the eye, six muscles control the movement of your eyes. An imbalance between them causes the development of squint. You can get squint correction surgery at Centre for Sight.

Squint in itself is not a disability, but if it leads to irreparable vision damage, which can become a disability. Squint surgery or strabismus surgery is the last resort to treat the eye condition if all other techniques fail. Hence, an early restoration of eye alignment, in childhood is desirable.

Treatment for squint eyes include:
• Use of spectacles
• Practising squint eye exercises
• Squint eye surgery; every method depends upon the age of the patient and causes of squint.

The exact cause of strabismus is unknown. A loss of coordination between the muscles of both the eyes leads to some misalignment. Sometimes, hypermetropia or an eye muscle paralysis may lead to the deviation of the eye. Some other eye disease may also result in poor vision, causing eyes to deviate. Therefore, a thorough eye checkup in children is always suggested. Strabismus surgery done at the right time can save your child’s eye from getting worse.

Like any other surgery, squint surgery or strabismus surgery is not without complications. Though complications are rare, squint correction surgery might include infection of the eyeball (endophthalmitis) and retinal detachment.

There is a slight chance of under-correction or overcorrection while performing squint surgery. In those cases, the recurrence of squint is possible. However, if the surgery is done after proper evaluation and by the deft hands of experts, this chance is reduced.

It is normal in the newborns eyes to wander during the first few weeks of birth. A babys eyes start to straighten when he/she is 4 to 6 months old. If one or both the eyes still moves inwards, outwards, up or down, its probably due to squinting. Consult an eye specialist for kids immediately.

Pediatric ophthalmology is for children below 15 years of age, who are in developing years of life.

Paediatric eye specialists specifically provide treatment and care to children with eye problems. Most of the problems in these cases are found only in children or require different innovative methods of diagnosis and treatment as compared to the adult versions of the same disorders.

An eye doctor for the kids is called a paediatric ophthalmologist.

To become a paediatric ophthalmologist, one undergoes rigorous training where they learn to handle paediatric eye diseases in OPDs and surgery. To be able to handle any case, they do diagnosis and investigations, and eventually, learn to manage everything related to child eye care. Fellowship programs post MS are offered for the same.

During the visit to a paediatric ophthalmologist, an initial basic workup is conducted to check vision. If required, a dilated evaluation is also done. Dilation can be done either in the same visit (takes around 1.5-2 hours), or a home dilation is recommended.

Depends upon the number of muscles to be operated, the exact procedure planned and the type of anaesthesia. On an average, it takes 1 hour or so.

Some squints in infants and young children sometimes improve with age. But always consult a paediatric ophthalmologist if you notice squint in your child.

The conditions can be improved, and the adverse effects on vision due to a squint can be reduced with treatment. Squint eye treatment (cross-eyed treatment) should be done at the right time so that it doesn’t hamper the vision of your child.

Yes, a squint can get worse and be permanently damaging if it is not treated correctly. Contact Centre for Sight for the best squint treatment.

Yes, some types of squint are hereditary. But that is not always the case. Reach Centre for Sight if you detect any symptoms in your child for timely squint correction.

• Glasses
• Patching therapy
• Medications
• Surgery

Treatment of squint typically requires eye muscle surgery. However, some patients may need prisms, glasses, medications. In rare cases, it is best left untreated. The correct way to know whether the straightening of the eyes is possible is to undergo a comprehensive eye exam. The paediatric eye specialist recommends strabismus surgery, depending on the severity of the case.

Squint surgery is performed under local or general anaesthesia. It depends upon the age and complexity of squint. Squint surgery for children requires a lot of precision and care. Squint surgery involves either weakening the muscle by a procedure called recession (where it is inserted at a point behind the original insertion) or strengthening it by resection (shortening the muscle-tendon length) so that it becomes taut.

Consult an eye specialist for kids if you notice that your baby does not look straight.