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Plus eyes in young children

Plus eyes or difficulty seeing objects at close range can happen to anyone. Plus eyes generally occur in older people. But did you know that plus eyes are also not uncommon for children? Plus eyes are also called farsightedness (hypermetropia). Sufferers can see distant objects clearly, but close objects actually look faint. Plus eyes are often afflicted by adults who are over the age of 40 years, but there are also small children who have been affected by this visual impairment.

How Does Eye Plus Happen?

Plus eyes occur when the eyeball is too short, the cornea is less curved or too flat, or the lens of the eye cannot focus properly. Therefore, the light that should fall right on the retina is focused behind the retina so that making objects that are close to look blurry. The exact cause of why these things can happen is not yet known, but a family history of influence. Some babies and children suffer from plus eyes. This is normal, usually without significant symptoms and will disappear when they are teenagers. Farsightedness in children often occurs because the visual organs are still developing. The process of developing a good child's eyes will help the vision function, as the age of the little one increases.

Signs of Children Suffering from Eyes Plus

Signs of a child exposed to the eyes plus can be observed from daily behavior at home or at school. For example, often sitting too close to the television, reading too close, complaining of headaches, frequent rubbing of the eyes, experiencing difficulty or dislike reading, and complaining of eye strain. Also in severe cases, the child's eyes may look crossed.

Handling Eyes Plus in Children

Good vision is very necessary for children's development. Conditions that interfere with the sense of sight can have an impact on various problems in children's basic skills and activities. Plus eyes in children can be treated with the use of glasses, contact lenses, or LASIK surgery to sharpen vision. However, not all children with nearsightedness need these vision aids. Usually plus eyes that are less than plus one (+1.00) can still see clearly. That's because the eye muscles that function to focus vision can still work.

    Eyeglasses

    Glasses are one of the visual aids that are suitable for children. Choosing the right children's glasses is very important for children with plus eyes. Here are some tips:
  • Choose a scratch-resistant plastic frame and eyeglasses for children 2 years of age or younger to avoid damage or breakage due to their activities.
  • Can also be considered polycarbonate eyeglass lenses that are not easily destroyed, especially for children who are very active. Although it is more susceptible to scratching than ordinary plastic lenses, this material is less fragile.
  • Children are advised to be given glasses that use a spring hinge with the aim of avoiding the eyeglass frame
  • A glasses strap or chain may be needed so that the glasses don't disappear or fall.
  • If the child is old enough, let him choose his own glasses with a size that is suitable and comfortable. Even so, still follow the advice of an eye doctor to avoid the risk of eye incompatibility with the lens.

    Contact lens

    Contact lenses look more contemporary and not out of date. But wearing and storing contact lenses is tricky and has to be bothered. Therefore, contact lenses are considered more suitable for use by children aged 12 years and over. But if your child still wants to wear contact lenses, discuss it first with your eye doctor and make sure your baby:
  • Know how to clean and store contact lenses properly.
  • Clean contact lenses only with special liquids.
  • Do not borrow or lend contact lenses.
  • Know when contact lenses must be replaced.
  • Always remove contact lenses if there are signs of eye irritation.
  • LASIK Operations

    Laser surgery (LASIK) was successfully performed to treat plus eyes in adults, but this procedure is not recommended for children. Why? Because the severity of hypermetropia or plus eyes can change during childhood until the early twenties. Whereas in adults, approximately age 21 years, the growth of the eyeball has stopped. So far the experts also have not fully agreed that LASIK surgery is the best choice for dealing with eye problems in children. To ensure the safety of LASIK surgery in children, further clinical research is needed.

Impact of Eyes Plus on Children

Although a mild plus eye can occur in children and usually resolves itself as the child grows, regular eye tests are important for children. Why? Because the plus eyes that are not corrected will cause problems with vision and growth and development of children. Research concludes that eye plus that is not handled will negatively impact a child's academic achievement, such as slower reading and poor reading comprehension. In addition, the eyes can also become squinted (strabismus), tense, or lazy eyes occur (amblyopia). Crossed eyes are when the eyes of the child do not look in the same direction. The lazy eye occurs when the function between one eye and the brain does not work properly because the eye sends signals that are too blurry, so the brain is more dominant to catch signals from the other eye.

Let's get your child's eyes checked early

Ophthalmologists recommend that eye examinations in children be done early:
  • Newborns, to find out if there are congenital eye abnormalities.
  • Around the age of 6-12 months, a first complete check-up is done to look for eye health problems and signs of vision problems, such as nearsightedness (minus the eye), farsightedness (plus eyes), or problems with eye movements.
  • At the age of 3, to test visual acuity will determine whether they need glasses to correct nearsightedness or farsightedness.
  • Age 5 years, follow-up examination to see the sharpness and harmony of the eye, compare with previous tests, predict the child's eye health and potential problems of the child's eye in the future.
  • Over 5 years, an eye examination should be done every year for children who need glasses. Parents are advised to consult an eye specialist to have their child's eyes checked every two years.
Children really need their sense of sight to develop, learn and get to know the surroundings. For this reason, eye examinations in children are important to be done routinely to detect early abnormalities in the eye, and avoid the effects that may be caused.

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