Maintaining healthy eyes is especially important for children living through the century. Childhood and adolescence are critical periods when essential visual functions influence lifelong eye health. During these stages, it’s crucial to check for major eye diseases such as amblyopia, strabismus, and myopia and manage visual acuity and other visual functions.
Dr. Baek Seung Hee, a specialist at Kim Eye Hospital’s Strabismus & Pediatric Ophthalmology Center, advised on the 29th that “The age of 7-8 almost fully develops visual functions, so if it does not develop properly at a young age, it may not improve even if treated as an adult.” She emphasized that “early treatment of pediatric eye diseases can have a more favorable impact on vision development, and it is advisable to have an ophthalmological examination at least once a year until elementary school age. If any abnormalities are found, it is recommended to consult with a specialist and take necessary actions at the appropriate time.”
Amblyopia, which only occurs in childhood, involves improper vision development due to various causes, resulting in poorly corrected vision in one or both eyes. This condition must be treated before age 7-8 when vision development is mainly complete. If refractive errors like myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, or conditions like strabismus and ptosis inhibit proper visual development, amblyopia may develop. If not appropriately treated, subsequent use of glasses, contact lenses, or even corrective surgery in adulthood will not improve vision.
It is well-known that the success rate of treating amblyopia is higher when detected and treated at a young age. Although treatment is possible after early childhood, the response to treatment decreases around the age of 6-7, and if the treatment period is missed, permanent visual impairment may remain. Since children may not express symptoms or may not feel discomfort by seeing with the other good eye, regular ophthalmic examinations are essential.
Strabismus is a disease where the two eyes do not align properly and look in different directions. If the affected eye deviates outward, it is called exotropia; inward, esotropia; and upward, hypertropia. According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, about half of all strabismus patients in 2022 are under the age of 9, showing that the disease mainly occurs in childhood. In particular, the cause of strabismus in children is primarily unknown. Strabismus may occur when one eye has poor vision due to congenital cataracts or retinal or optic nerve anomalies, thus requiring an ophthalmologist’s examination. Common types of strabismus that can occur without specific underlying diseases in childhood include intermittent exotropia, infantile esotropia, and accommodative esotropia. Pseudostrabismus is a condition that appears like strabismus but is not. If strabismus that occurs before visual function is fully developed is not treated at an early age, it can impact visual function development. Infantile esotropia occurs within the first six months of life, and it is difficult to fully correct binocular vision function even with surgery before the age of three. If strabismus occurring in childhood is not adequately treated at a young age, it can affect the development of visual functions. It is crucial to detect strabismus early and treat it on time.
Recently, the prevalence of myopia has been soaring, especially among children. According to 2022 statistics from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, approximately 260,000 myopic patients are in the lower grades of elementary school, ages 6-10. Myopia is a refractive error where the focus is in front of the retina, typically due to an eyeball elongation, and distant objects are not seen clearly.
Myopia treatment aims to inhibit the progression of myopia, which is generally effective around the ages of 6-11. If myopia has already progressed significantly, it cannot be reduced. If left untreated, myopia can continue to progress, becoming a risk factor for eye diseases that can cause blindness, such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, and retinal detachment. Young children may not feel discomfort or express it, so it should be suspected if they squint when looking at distant objects or leaning forward to see things up close.
