Children with Glasses

Why does a few children need a glass?
How does the doctor find out his power?
What happens if he does not wear his glasses?
What about their future- will their glass power increase or decrease?
Can the ophthalmologist help in arresting the progression of the glass power ?

Which child needs a glass?

Children who have difficulty in seeing the blackboard in school are the most common ones to be given glasses. They may be prescribed glasses for the treatment of a squint. Often they are found to have a low vision in one eye only . This is generally detected by routine screening at school or while being examined for other ailments.

How does the doctor find out his power?

Doctors put eye drops to dilate the pupil which also helps to relax the cilliary muscles and held an accurate objective estimation of eye power by methods called streak retinoscopy or autorefractometer.

What happens if he does not wear his glasses?

For the visual development it is essential that there is clear focussed image on the retina. That is why it is a must for children bellow eight years to constantly use what ever glasses they have been prescribed. Else, they would develop lazy eye.

What about their future- will their glass power increase or decrease?

Children with myopia continue to increase the power of their glasses till the age of around 17 years. Especially during growth spurt the myopic power might increase rapidly over six months. The power increase plateaus by 15 years. Children having hypermetropia generally tend to have a decrease in their glass power with age.

Can the ophthalmologist help in arresting the progression of the glass power ?

No. The glass power will increase or decrease irrespective of the treatment. The aim of treatment is to ensure that with the appropriate power of glasses the child sees the last line on the vision chart by the eight year of life. Most child achieve this visual acuity earlier but some achieve it late.

Some children need patching of their good eye to force the lazy eye to perform. When one eye has good vision and the other eye has poor vision often leads to the worse eye being lazy. Generally children are asked to wear glasses for the first 3 months after detection of a lazy eye and then asked to patch. It should be done under the supervision of qualified personnel

Home About Us