Under the title ’Ophthalmological control prior to starting school’ , the Argentine Society of Pediatrics (SAP) in conjunction with the Argentine Society of Children’s Ophthalmology (SAOI) issued a document in which they highlight the importance of early evaluation and detection of pathologies. ocular disorders and visual deficits in boys and girls and the role of the health system in guaranteeing access to these controls for the entire population.
Those symptoms that usually allow us to suspect an ocular pathology are, among others, difficulty in vision at short, medium or long distances; problems reading the board in class; reading difficulties; attention and concentration deficit and/or poor school performance. Other signs that may attract attention are that you get too close to the television or other objects to see them; if you divert one eye permanently or intermittently; if you have headache; squinting and poor hand-eye coordination, such as difficulty catching a ball or other similar activity.
According to the World Health Organization, there are 7.5 million school-age children in the world with some type of visual impairment and only 25% present symptoms . “Among the most common ophthalmological pathologies in childhood are refractive errors, which are vision problems that occur when the shape of the eye does not allow it to focus well; It is a condition that usually occurs in different degrees of severity in 1 in 5 boys and girls,” said Dr. Marcela Gonorazky , pediatric ophthalmologist, President of the Argentine Society of Children’s Ophthalmology (SAOI).
“Another childhood visual health problem that occurs in 5% of cases is strabismus, which occurs due to poor control of the eye muscles, which is generally recognized because the two eyes do not point in the same direction. address. Likewise, in 2 and 4% of cases, amblyopia appears, which is caused by a failure in the functioning of the brain, which cannot recognize the vision of one eye; It is also known as ’lazy eye’ or ’lazy eye’”, completed Dr. Leonardo Fernández Irigaray , specialist in Children’s Ophthalmology and Vice President of the SAOI.
The origins of ocular pathologies can be genetic (from birth), epigenetic (when they correspond, among others, to environmental factors such as diet, place of residence and/or work, pharmacological treatments and unhealthy habits) or multifactorial, and They occur without distinction in both sexes. “If the check-up schedule of the Argentine Society of Children’s Ophthalmology is followed with a children’s ophthalmologist, in general the condition can be diagnosed in a timely manner,” Gonorazky stated.
’Screenings for visual alterations carried out upon school entry allow for early detection of pathologies and improved school performance and social integration, providing greater opportunities,’ proclaims the joint document from the SAOI and the SAP.
To focus on the importance of addressing visual alterations, the work highlights that “approximately 80% of the information that reaches our brain is visual.” “Any learning is done more easily if both eyes are used efficiently and the brain processes those images appropriately. When these visual skills fail, the processing and interpretation of visual information can lead to a learning disability. Visual perception is very important in the process of learning to read. Vision is much more than having good eyesight or perfect visual acuity. Vision involves capturing visual information, processing it, obtaining meaning, to be able to interpret and understand everything that surrounds us,” she continued.
"As for the delays in going to the consultation, they generally have nothing to do with the economic or social situation of the families, but often occur due to lack of information or going to centers that do not have children’s ophthalmology and are evaluated by a general ophthalmologist,” stressed Fernández Irigaray.
“Above all, we strongly recommend the prevention and early detection of ocular pathologies, which is achieved with children’s ophthalmological consultation at birth, 6 months of life, at the first, third and fifth year and, then, an annual visit. As for treatment, depending on each pathology, we have tools such as glasses, patches, specific eye drops and surgery in specific cases,” Gonorazky stated.
The SAOI and SAP document states that “the ophthalmologist is the doctor specialized and trained to care for visual health. Children’s ophthalmologists have the equipment and experience necessary to examine and treat children’s vision. It is important to carry out ophthalmological check-ups from an early age and in preschool children. The health system should guarantee accessibility to ophthalmological consultations, promoting equity.”
In the opinion of Dr. Fernández Irigaray, it is never too early or too late to go with a child to their child’s ophthalmological check-up. “Periodic consultation and early diagnosis of any alteration in ocular health are the keys to carrying out a treatment with a much better prognosis,” he said.
