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Children's eye care and squint treatment in Vasco, Goa

A child's vision is still developing until about seven or eight years of age. During those years the eyes and the brain learn to work together, and a problem that blurs one eye, or makes the eyes point in different directions, can stop that learning. Found early, most of these problems can be treated well. Found late, some cannot be fully corrected. Yet children rarely say they cannot see: a child who has always seen a blurred board thinks that is how everyone sees it. That is why eye check-ups matter so much in childhood.

What children's eye care is done at ReNew Vision?

• Children's eye check-ups and school vision screening.
• Spectacle power tests for children, with spectacles from our Vision Correction Centre in the same hospital.
• Squint check-ups and squint surgery.
• Lazy eye (amblyopia) treatment, including patching.
• Myopia control treatment for children, to slow short sight.
• Eye screening of premature babies for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).
• Care for red, sticky or watering eyes, styes, and eye injuries in children.

When should a child have an eye check-up?

• Babies: the baby's doctor checks the eyes after birth and at routine visits. See an eye doctor if a baby does not look at faces or follow movement by about three months, if the eyes wobble or turn after about four months, or if the pupil looks white in a flash photo.
• Before school: a full eye check-up between about three and five years, even if there are no signs.
• School years: every one to two years, or as advised, and every six to twelve months for a child who wears spectacles.
• Any time a parent or teacher notices a problem, or if there is a family history of squint, lazy eye or high spectacle power.

The signs to watch for, age by age, are in signs your child needs an eye test or glasses.

What happens at a child's eye check-up?

The check-up is adapted to the child's age. Young children match pictures or shapes instead of reading letters. The eye doctor watches how the eyes move and line up, checks each eye's vision separately, and examines the front and the back of the eyes. A parent stays with the child throughout.

To measure a child's spectacle power accurately, drops are usually put in to relax the eye's focusing and widen the pupils. Children's eyes focus very strongly, and without these drops the power can be measured wrongly. The drops take some time to work. Afterwards, close vision is blurred and light feels bright for some hours, sometimes until the next day, so plan a quiet rest of the day and bring sunglasses or a cap.

What is a squint, and does it need treatment?

A squint (strabismus) means the eyes do not point in the same direction: one eye may turn in, out, up or down, all the time or only sometimes. In the first few months of life the eyes can wander now and then, but a squint that is still there after about four months of age needs an eye check. A child does not grow out of a true squint, and the belief that a squint brings luck should never delay a check.

A squint matters because the brain may start to ignore the turned eye, which then becomes lazy, and because the eyes lose the ability to work together for depth (3D) vision. Treatment can include spectacles, which straighten some squints on their own, patching for a lazy eye, and squint surgery to realign the eyes. Squint surgery is done at ReNew Vision for children and adults. For children, squint surgery is done under general anaesthesia (the child is asleep), given by an anaesthetist. See squint surgery: when it is needed and what to expect. A squint that appears suddenly in a child, or with other symptoms, needs to be seen quickly.

What is a lazy eye, and how is it treated?

A lazy eye (amblyopia) is an eye that does not see clearly, even with the right spectacles, because the brain has not learned to use it properly. It usually affects one eye. Common causes are a squint, a big difference in spectacle power between the two eyes, or high power in both eyes. Less often, something blocks the vision, such as a cataract or a drooping eyelid in a baby.

Treatment works by making the brain use the lazy eye:

• Spectacles first. The right spectacles alone improve many lazy eyes over a few months.
• Patching. A patch is worn over the stronger eye for some hours a day, as the eye doctor advises, so that the lazy eye has to work. Doing close, enjoyable activities such as drawing or puzzles while patched helps.
• Regular check-ups, to adjust the patching and make sure the stronger eye stays healthy.

Treatment works better the younger the child. It is most effective before about seven or eight years of age, although older children may still improve. Patching needs patience from the whole family; stopping too early is the main reason it fails.

Short sight (myopia) in children

Short sight is becoming more common in children, and long hours of close work and screens, with little time outdoors, are thought to play a part. A short-sighted child sees near things clearly but distant things, such as the school board, blurred. The power often increases as the child grows. For children whose power is rising, there are ways to slow it, including more time outdoors and special spectacle lenses, contact lenses or eye drops prescribed by an eye doctor. Myopia control treatment for children is offered at ReNew Vision; the eye doctor examines the child and advises which option suits them. Read myopia control for children.

Eye screening for premature babies (ROP)

Babies born early or with a low birth weight can develop retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), in which abnormal blood vessels grow in the retina. It gives no outward signs, and severe ROP can cause blindness if it is not treated in time. Screening means an eye doctor examines the baby's retina through dilated pupils, usually more than once over several weeks.

The first check is usually due within the first month after birth, by about 30 days of age, and earlier, at two to three weeks, for the smallest and earliest babies; the baby's doctor advises the exact dates, based on how early the baby was born and the birth weight. Do not miss these dates: ROP can change quickly, and treatment, when it is needed, has to happen within a short window. ReNew Vision does ROP screening. If treatment is needed, the baby is referred urgently. Call 072489 88039 to arrange a screening date.

Other eye problems in children

• A white pupil in a photo or in certain light needs an eye check within days, not weeks.
• Large, cloudy, watering eyes in a baby can be a sign of childhood glaucoma and need an urgent check.
• A watering, sticky eye in a baby is often a blocked tear duct; see watering eye and blocked tear duct.
• Red, sticky eyes, styes and lid lumps are common at school age.
• Eye injuries from cricket balls, sticks, toys and firecrackers. Emergency eye care at ReNew Vision is available 24 hours; see eye emergency.

Spectacles for children

Children need frames that fit well and stay in place, and lenses that resist impact. Our Vision Correction Centre, in the same hospital, makes children's spectacles from the power found at the check-up. Tips on frames, wearing spectacles at school and getting a child to keep them on are in spectacles for children: a parent's guide.

How do I book a child's eye check-up?

• Where: ReNew Vision Eye Hospital, 2nd floor, Pai Hospital building, Vaddem Merces Road, Vaddem, Vasco da Gama, Goa 403802. See timings and directions.
• When: Eye OPD Monday to Saturday, 4 pm to 7 pm, after school hours. Sunday OPD closed. Emergency eye care: 24 hours.
• Call or WhatsApp: 072489 88039.
• Bring: the child's spectacles, any school screening note or teacher's comments, earlier eye reports, and for a baby, the birth and nursery discharge papers. A favourite toy or snack helps young children through the wait while the drops work.

Children's eye guides

EMI facility is available for treatment and services above ₹30,000.

Questions patients ask

At what age should a child have the first eye test?

The baby's doctor checks the eyes after birth. A full eye check-up is advised between about three and five years, before school, even without signs, and earlier if you notice a turn in the eye, a white pupil or poor vision.

Will my child outgrow a squint?

A true squint does not go away on its own. Occasional wandering of the eyes is common in the first few months, but a squint still present after about four months of age needs an eye check.

Up to what age can a lazy eye be treated?

Treatment works better the younger the child, and is most effective before about seven or eight years of age. Older children may still improve, so it is worth having a check at any age.

Is squint surgery done at ReNew Vision?

Yes. ReNew Vision does squint check-ups and squint surgery for children and adults, after spectacles and lazy-eye treatment have been considered. For children, squint surgery is done under general anaesthesia given by an anaesthetist.

Why are drops put in my child's eyes during the check-up?

Children's eyes focus very strongly, so drops are used to relax the focusing and widen the pupils. This gives an accurate spectacle power and lets the eye doctor see the retina. Vision is blurred and light feels bright for some hours afterwards.

When should a premature baby have ROP screening?

The first check is usually due within the first month after birth, and earlier for the smallest babies; the baby's doctor advises the exact dates, based on how early the baby was born and the birth weight. Keep every date, because ROP can change quickly and treatment must happen in time.

This page is general eye-health information, not personal medical advice. Your eye doctor advises you after examining your eyes.