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The new school year 2017/2018 is already knocking on the door! Children after the holiday idyll find it difficult to find themselves in the school reality, because they still remember carefree moments from the warmest months of the year. Throughout the holidays, their eyes could see what they wanted, and from September they will most often sit with their noses in books and notebooks. It’s not the end of the world, Dear Babies! The school is also a meeting place. Breaks – during which there is a lot going on and, of course, class trips that provide unforgettable experiences and allow you to take a break from sitting at the desk. Parents, at the beginning of the school year – remember to register your child with a general practitioner (to check the child’s general health) and with an ophthalmologist and a certified orthoptist. During the school year, the child’s eyesight will be constantly strained, forced to work for many hours at close range, so it is worth having it checked in the first semester. If any irregularities in the functioning of the eyesight system come to light, they can at least be prevented from deepening by using corrective glasses or vision therapy.
New school year – take your child to the eye doctor
After the holiday madness, our children’s eyes are certainly rested and they will be more willing to take on new challenges. This does not mean, however, that the control eye examination can be skipped. On the contrary – it is best to check your child’s eyesight in September pediatric ophthalmologist. When it turns out that vision has deteriorated, it can be remedied by choosing the right corrective lenses. In the event that the deterioration of vision is related to the incorrect functioning of the peri-ocular muscles, then the child will be referred for a professional diagnosis to a certified orthoptist. Once the problem is diagnosed and determined, the visual dysfunction can be treated by subjecting the child to rehabilitation (i.e. therapy): orthoptic or pleoptic (used for amblyopia).
What exactly does a certified orthoptist do?
An orthoptist is a medical profession focused on the functioning of the eyeball muscles. A certified orthoptist diagnoses aspects of vision that are not taken into account during a standard eye examination (e.g. accommodation, convergence, eye movements, hidden strabismus or spatial vision). If necessary, rehabilitation of selected visual functions will be proposed in the field of binocular vision disorders and eyeball mobility disorders (mainly: amblyopia, strabismus). We would like to emphasize that supporting the work of an ophthalmologist in diagnostic procedures (concerning diseases of the eye and the visual system) belongs to the orthoptist.A certified orthoptist can diagnose an unusual type of dyslexia – visual dyslexia (otherwise: optodyslexia). When visual dyslexia is detected in a child, the orthoptist prepares an individual vision therapy plan.Comprehensive ophthalmological examination and orthoptic diagnosis is carried out in the ophthalmology and orthoptic office at the See Tomorrow Foundation. The headquarters of the foundation is located right next to the Radosława Roundabout, at Aleja Jana Pawła II 80/130 in Babka Tower (on the 21st floor). Bookings can be made by phone: 22 266 09 95 or by e-mail: [email protected] More about the office and the foundation’s activities can be found on the website.
Red eyes – it could be conjunctivitis!
It happens that the eyes are slightly bloodshot. If such a condition does not pass quickly, it is a signal that the child has conjunctivitis. When you notice the first symptoms, you can use over-the-counter drops – e.g. from firefly, artificial tears. It is worth washing the eyes with a special liquid. If the troublesome symptoms do not pass after 2-4 days, take your child to an ophthalmologist. Based on the history and examination of the eye with a slit lamp, he will determine the type of inflammation, the possible cause and prescribe the appropriate treatment.Conjunctiva – thin, movable mucous membranes – line the eyelids and cover the surface of the eyeball. They are very delicate, so they are prone to irritation. In the conjunctiva there are lacrimal, mucous and fatty glands that produce secretions that make up tears.The most common cause of conjunctivitis is bacteria or viruses, but it can also be caused by allergies or fungi. If we have a tendency to dry eye syndrome, we are also at risk. People who work a lot at the computer are at risk of conjunctivitis.
Viral conjunctivitis
Most often it occurs in one eye, and after a few it moves to the other … The virus first attacks the conjunctiva, and after a few days the cornea.What are the symptoms? It is accompanied by swelling and itching of the conjunctiva, a strange feeling of a foreign body under the eyelid and the appearance of a watery secretion. When we look closely at the conjunctiva, we can see small clusters of swollen blood vessels. As the inflammation develops, covers the cornea, you can see small round opacities on it. Unfortunately, there is severe pain and photophobia. It happens that the lymph nodes in the jaw area enlarge.How is the treatment going? The therapy consists of local treatment by applying antiviral drugs, reducing swelling, anti-inflammatory and disinfecting. This form of inflammation is very contagious, so it is easy to spread it by “touch”. It is recommended to wash your hands frequently and throw away eye cosmetics used during infections.
Bacterial conjunctivitis
Bacteria most often cause conjunctivitis. Typical symptoms include: purulent or serous-purulent discharge in the conjunctival and lacrimal sacs, severe hyperemia and swelling of the conjunctiva, and sometimes the entire eyelid! During the treatment, sulfonamides or antibiotic solutions (in the form of drops and ointments) are administered. Typically, a week is enough to resolve the condition, but if the inflammation persists, your eye doctor may recommend stopping the medication. Then culture of conjunctival sacs and determination of antibiogram. Once it is known what type of bacteria is the cause of conjunctivitis, the ophthalmologist selects the appropriate treatment.Can mushrooms cause conjunctivitis?Yes! This happens rarely, but they can. It is usually the result of long-term treatment with antibiotics or appears as a result of infection from other parts of the body. The symptoms are similar to other forms of inflammation, but the characteristic symptom is whitish deposits in the tear ducts. This type of inflammation is treated with antifungal drugs in the form of drops or ointments. Unfortunately, with fungal conjunctivitis, treatment can take up to several months.Can any other external factors cause conjunctivitis?Yes! With the so-called simple conjunctivitis, the direct cause may be: bright sun and wind, eyestrain.The article was created with the participation of ophthalmologists and certified orthoptists cooperating with the See Tomorrow Foundation. We encourage you to visit the See Tomorrow Foundation, where your child’s eyesight will be comprehensively examined and diagnosed. We kindly ask you to set the date of your visit in advance, to register by phone: (22) 266 09 95. You can also write directly to the e-mail address: [email protected]