| 7 December |
Poor Eyesight In Children |
Learn why more children these days suffer from poor eyesight. Learn its causes and prevention here.
View full post on Health-and-Fitness:Eyes-Vision Articles from EzineArticles.com
Posts Tagged ‘Children’
| 29 July |
Can Children Have Lasik? |
One of the standard requirements for LASIK candidacy is that you be over the age of 18. The reason for that is that no lasers are FDA-approved for use on anyone below that age, and the FDA’s reason was that most people under 18 still have unstable eyes – refractive instability. But there are cases where that requirement is waived, and some LASIK surgeons are not convinced that age is so important, at least not always. The subject is controversial.
Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)
This is a condition where one eye does most of the work and the other one weakens. The brain connects just to the one eye, usually by the age of seven or eight. The traditional attempt at treatment is wearing a patch over the strong eye, to stimulate the weak eye and strengthen its connection to the brain. No child wants to wear an eye patch, so compliance is a problem. Sometimes glasses or contact lenses are used instead.
Some eye surgeons feel that LASIK on children under ten years old can be a good option, although there are some problems:
· The child has to be given general anesthesia to keep their body and eyes still
· Laser equipment is not configured for an unconscious, supine patient
More Information Needed
In addition some feel that we don’t know enough about the long-term effects of LASIK in adults, and that we should know more before we do LASIK for small people who have longer life expectancies. If something were to go wrong with the good eye, that child would be in a worse position. On the other hand, a child with amblyopia and severe myopia or hyperopia could surely benefit from LASIK. A mild or moderate vision problem is better than a disablingly severe one.
Perhaps LASIK would benefit some children and help them succeed better in school and make more friends. If their eyes continued changing so that they needed another vision correction later on, many feel that it would be worth it. In cases where a child has one nearsighted eye, LASIK is sometimes done to make the vision symmetrical.
Many agree that what is needed is a national study on LASIK for children. Some ophthalmologists have started giving LASIK to people under 18, and documenting the long-term results in an effort to add to our understanding. Most eye doctors feel that in cases of amblyopia, traditional treatments should be tried first and only if they fail should LASIK be considered.
Absolute and Relative Contraindications
When assessing a person’s LASIK candidacy, eye surgeons will usually look at the disqualifying factors in two categories. Some disqualifying conditions are absolute – meaning that there is no doubt or discussion about it. For example, a person with eyes changing quickly who has had a new prescription every six months for the past two years would definitely not be a good candidate. Why not? Because the LASIK correction could be undone in six months when the eyes change again.
Other disqualifying conditions are relative – meaning that if they’re handled the right way with the appropriate attitudes, LASIK might be positive. For example, if you have thin corneas, and don’t mind accepting the increased risk about cutting the flap, perhaps LASIK could be done.
If you have a child with amblyopia, or with severe nearsightedness or farsightedness, you may have found that treatment is difficult. An active and intelligent child dislikes being hampered by patches or glasses, yet needs to see clearly for active sports, and for reading. If you consult a LASIK surgeon, be sure and choose one who is board-certified, fully-qualified, and well-experienced.
Contact Dr. Khanna for more information about vision correction options for your child.
| 25 June |
Important Notice For Children Wearing Vision Eyeglasses |
Eyes are important for everyone, especially important for children. Not taken good care of, eyes would suffer from kinds of diseases and good eyesight can not be guaranteed. To protect their eye health, important notice for children wearing vision eyeglasses should be in the public eye:
View full post on Health-and-Fitness:Eyes-Vision Articles from EzineArticles.com