Is your infant prone to vision problems later? Eye expert answers

New Delhi: Eye care is important for your child’s well-being and as parents, we must take care of their eye health, however, most parents tend to neglect this. Older children can talk about pain that they may have but the infant’s attention needs to be shifted by the parents themselves to understand the discomfort. If identified at an early age, certain signs such as eye strain or any vision issues can be averted to avoid severe long-term vision damage to the child in the future.

In an interaction with News9Live, Dr Digvijay Singh, Director, of Noble Eye Care, Gurugram, spoke about the early signs of eye problems in infants.

Understanding Infant Eye Development

Within the first year of their life, an infant’s eye development accelerates. Right from birth a baby is only able to see objects up to 8 to 10 inches away. However, by the time a baby grows up to 6 months, they should be able to follow moving objects, recognize familiar faces, and have slight depth perception. Any deviation from these milestones could signal a potential vision problem.

Common Vision Issues in Children below 6 Years of Age

Some of the conditions that can impair the vision of an infant include:

1. Refractive errors: Minor to severe myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness) are common refractive errors that are detected later on.
2. Strabismus: Crossed eyes are an eye imbalance that can cause amblyopia, sometimes known as a lazy eye, If cross-eyes are not treated fully.
3. Amblyopia: This refers to an eyepatch that has a reduced vision preferably 3 out of 2 eyes.
4. Congenital cataracts: This refers to an eye lens that has at birth shown signs of fainting which makes vision odd.

Parents should look out for the following signs since they indicate any early sign of concern and an assessment needs to be sought.

1. A child showing no eye contact with a caregiver by 3 months of age.
2. A child above 4 months of age should be able to make eye movements following an object hence failure to do so signifies a need for assessment.
3. Permanently cross or drifting of the eyes after the age of four months is also an indicator.
4. Rubbing or covering of the eyes can be a sign of discomfort along the eyes indicating the need for child assessment.
5. If the child shows excessive squinting or turning away from bright light events can also be an indicator.
6. A white or cloudy pupil can signal the presence of serious diseases such as cataracts or retinoblastoma

There are chances that children might grow up to have a visual impairment, but with timely diagnosis, proper intervention techniques can be applied to prevent the impairment from progressing. It is also recommended that parents ensure a healthy visual environment for the child along with proper lighting and a minimal amount of screen time.

The importance of vision in the world of infants cannot be stressed enough as it lays the groundwork on which their future cognitive capabilities as well as motor skills will be built. Parents can save their newborn’s vision by being attentive and recognising the early red flags and warning signs that the infant is portraying. In case your infant shows any indication of concern that was mentioned above or fears related to eye health, considerations among retina specialists and pediatric ophthalmologists should be taken on a priority basis. Steps taken in an early stage make a monumental difference in the overall health condition of a child.