In a healthy person, the optical system of the eye consists of one focus. But very often it happens that in one eye there are two foci at once, which prevent the light beam from converging at one point, but project it onto the retina at once at several points. As a result, a person sees distortedly, regardless of how far an object is placed. This suggests that he has a disease such as astigmatism. Normally, the bagel of the eye has a so-called spherical shape when its refractive power is the same both vertically and horizontally. With astigmatism, the whole refractive power is different, that is, for example, it can be stronger vertically and weaker horizontally.
It should be noted that many inhabitants of the planet have such an unequal refractive power, only this difference is insignificant, only 0.5 diopters. A person does not feel this difference, and his vision does not need correction. But if the refractive power is already higher than this indicator, then vision is noticeably deteriorating, it also needs to be adjusted. Astigmatism is a congenital disease, therefore it can make itself felt at any age: both in early childhood and in adulthood. At the same time, astigmatism in children is a more common disease that requires immediate correction.
Treatment of astigmatism in children can be quite successful if the disease itself is detected in time. If the child often tells parents that he does not see well, if he often has a headache and an eyebrow area, if he quickly gets tired when reading and other visual loads, he should immediately be shown to an ophthalmologist. It is worth noting that treating astigmatism in children up to a year is not very simple, because it is quite difficult to identify the disease itself. For this purpose, special equipment is used, but, unfortunately, not every clinic has it. Most often, ophthalmologists diagnose children in their second year of life. This is the age when you can predict the further development of the visual system and take the necessary measures to treat a particular pathology.
Treatment of astigmatism in children can be prescribed only after a comprehensive examination of the visual system of a small patient. This is not always easy to do, as not all children can talk about what is bothering them. Further adjustment for astigmatism will be assigned based on the age and characteristics of a particular child. A prerequisite, which includes the treatment of astigmatism in children, is the appointment of wearing glasses. Moreover, the child must do this constantly, in some cases, all his life. Contact lenses can be prescribed by a doctor at an older age and not always. It is worth paying attention to the fact that wearing glasses is not a means of treating astigmatism, it only contributes to the fact that the child sees the world around him better and does not feel discomfort when examining certain objects.
What then should be the treatment of astigmatism in children in order to get rid of this pathology forever? The unequivocal answer here is this: you can finally get rid of astigmatism only with the help of surgery. It is carried out only for those who have reached the age of twenty. There are several types of such operations, from which the doctor will choose what will be appropriate for the treatment of a particular patient.
It is worth noting that astigmatism of the eyes in children does not progress, such as myopia. This means that following all the doctor’s prescriptions can help get rid of this pathology forever. Parents should ensure that their child wears glasses and does not take them off when doing homework, reading, etc. A prerequisite is a regular visit to the ophthalmologist. Since the child grows rapidly, it becomes necessary to change the optics of the glasses. You need to do this by age.