need of eyeglasses for children

[subrakar]

Sir,
Today, I took my 8 years old daughter to an eye hospital to treat her eye infection. Doctors, checked her eye ans asked her to read the letters on a board from a distance of around 10 feet. She had some problems in identifying some letters. Since, the eyes are infected, the doctor has advised me to come again after 2 weeks, after the infection is cured for testing the eyes again and suggesting suitable eyeglasses, if necessary. Doctors feel that she may have to use eyeglasses.

Sofar, my daughter has done exceedingly well in academics. I has never seen any symptoms of her struggling for a clear vision. In this situation, should my daughter use eyeglasses, if advised by the doctor.

What should I do if the doctor prescribes the use of eyeglasses? Should I follow the doctor's advice or try other means?

One of my friends suggested to me that I have to check the eyes of my daughter regularly from time to time, feed her with all the required vitamins and ask her to do some eye excercises and yoga. By following this routine, eye sight will become normal, without using eye glasses. He also cautioned me that by using eyeglasses, the eyesight will only further deteriorate and the power of eyeglasses have to be regularly increased.

I am confused. Please guide me.

Thanks and Regards,
S.Karthikeyan  

[subrakar]

Dear Madam,

Thank you so much for your comments.

My 8 year old daughter has been diagnosed as follows.

Right eye -  Minus0.75 spherical,  Minus 0.75 cylindrical

Left eye   -   Minus2  spherical, Minus 0.5 cylindrical

My daughter will be getting the  suitable eye glasses tomorrow. The doctors, here are not able to give a clear reply as to whether the value of eye glasses will increase or decrease, as my daughter grows up. All they can say is that it will keep changing, till the child reaches teenage. They can not confirm, change will be for the good or bad. I have 3 questions.

1) Is it something, on which we cannot say anything certainly?      
2) Besides wearing eyeglasses, what else, I have to do to improve the vision of my daughter.
3) Can you please inform me in which form your husband is taking the required vitamins - as tablets(pills) or food.

I await your comments.

Regards, S.Karthikeyan

[subrakar]

Dear Sir,

Thank you so much for your comments.

My 8 year old daughter has been diagnosed as follows.

Right eye -  Minus0.75 spherical,  Minus 0.75 cylindrical

Left eye   -   Minus2  spherical, Minus 0.5 cylindrical

My daughter will be getting the  suitable eye glasses tomorrow. The doctors, here are not able to give a clear reply as to whether the value of eye glasses will increase or decrease, as my daughter grows up. All they can say is that it will keep changing, till the child reaches teenage. They can not confirm, change will be for the good or bad. I have 2 questions.

1) Is it something, on which we cannot say anything certainly?      
2) Besides wearing eyeglasses, what else, I have to do to improve the vision of my daughter.

I await your comments.

Regards, S.Karthikeyan

[allmymarbles]

I was not suggesting that supplements would affect myopia, merely that they wee necessary for eye health. Your comment was ambiguous and I took you comment to mean that they were of no value.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

The supplements mentioned above have no role in preventing or stopping any refractive error like myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism or presbyopia. they have however value in reducing the risk of macular degeneration as we age.

JCH MD

[allmymarbles]

Even with the best of diets, vitamin supplementation is necessary. That is because the soil in which food plants are grown are deficient in nutrients. Although vitamins for eye health will not correct myopia, they will serve to preserve eye health. The most common eye supplements are lutein, zeaxanthin, bilberry, and vitamin A. My husband, who is 72, takes these vitamins and his prescription for eyeglasses has not changed in 15 years. (He has been taking the supplements for 15 years.) He is a diabetic and has no signs of the eye problems suffered by diabetics. His friends, who also take these vitamins, equally old, are not suffering any eye degeneration. My eyeMD recommends the taking of these vitamins. Studies confirm their efficacy.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

A myopic or nearsighted eye (and I'm one of them) is an eye longer than normal. Because the eye grows longer as the child gets bigger it is unusual for a child to outgrown a myopic glasses RX and it usually gets bigger with time and the glasses RX larger (think of it as your child outgrowing their shoes).

A hyperopic or farsighted eye is smaller than normal. When the child growns the eye becomes less farsighted. So children often do outgrown the need to wear glasses for farsighted (Plus +) lens.  Not all farsightedness in children needs correction with glasses since the eye by focusing can correct small amounts without problem.

The glasses your child has clears her vision but do not prevent the eye from getting larger so its NOT like wearing braces that keep teeth straight then when the teeth stop growing the braces are not needed. Important you understand that.

JC MD

[subrakar]

Thank you so much for your guidance. I will be taking my daughter to an eye specialist for eyeglasses.

Is there any chance for my 8 year old daughter's eyesight to get better, if she keeps wearing the eye glasses, prescribed by the Ophthalmologist?

Regards, S.Karthikeyan

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Children often do very well in school with very poor vision.

If you are seeing an reputable Eye MD ophthalmologist and tests determine that glasses are needed then she should wear them.  If she eats a well balanced diet vitamins are usually not necessary. in anycase viitamins will not get rid of glasses nor lack of vitamins cause need for glasses.

Your friend is wrong.

JCH MD