EUROPE 1 ACCOMPANES YOU
There is no age to have problems of sight. Specialist in pediatric ophthalmology, Stephanie Zwillinger insists at the microphone of Europe 1: it is necessary to worry about it from the birth of the children.
Vision problems are indeed detectable from the first days of life of an infant. Some signs may alert parents: "an eyelid problem, one eye smaller than the other, or if, from birth, the baby opens very big eyes ... All these clues deserve the attention of parents." Of course, these situations are not necessarily synonymous with a pathology.
First appointment possible from 3 years
It is also common that the eyes of newborns give an impression of strabismus. "It's not worrying the first five months," said the ophthalmologist. "If the impression persists after six months, then it is good to consult a doctor." Also recommended for babies with severe myopia in their family, hyperopia (beyond -4.5 or +4), or tumors, cataracts, and congenital glaucoma.
In these cases, it is good to take a first ophthalmic appointment when the child is between nine months and one year old. "There is no age to wear glasses, some opticians make custom-made, skull-adapted babies six or seven months." No problem, we can wait for his 3 years.
"The myopia of the student"
If hyperopia and astigmatism often occur early enough, nearsightedness occurs at any age. "We are talking about 'myopia of the student' because it comes up with school work.There are several peaks, around 8 years old, then in adolescence, and at the beginning of higher education." As a precaution, it is recommended to bring your children to a specialist every 2 or 3 years, from 6 years.
Amblyopia: the child and the "idle eye"
As a pediatric ophthalmologist, Stéphanie Zwillinger is a specialist in a little-known child pathology: amblyopia. This visual impairment is only due to a problem of connection between eye and brain. "It's often called" lazy eye. "Images transmitted by this eye, worse than those transmitted by the other, are ignored by the brain." Which leads to a progressive loss of vision.
To treat amblyopia, the most effective is to regularly hide the best performing eye. "The brain will be forced to work with the lazy eye, thanks to the brain plasticity, its visual acuity can then go up," said Stephanie Zwillinger. Amblyopia is a problem of childish eyesight, but which extends into adulthood if it is badly or not treated. "To treat children is to cure adults."