Paediatric Ophthalmology

What is paediatric ophthalmology?

Paediatric ophthalmology is the term used to describe the specialty that focuses on the identification, diagnosis and treatment of eye conditions affecting children and young people. In many cases, these are childhood-specific vision problems such as lazy eye (‘amblyopia’), squint/strabismus or congenital cataracts that require specialist input to diagnose and manage.

You may also hear paediatric ophthalmology referred to as paediatric eye care, and you’ll typically see a consultant paediatric eye surgeon, who may also be called a children’s eye specialist or paediatric ophthalmologist.

Childhood eye conditions are very common, with studies estimating that 6 in every 100 children will experience at least one issue with their vision before the age of three.

What conditions can paediatric ophthalmology treat?

Paediatric ophthalmology covers a wide range of eye conditions including but not limited to:

Amblyopia/lazy eye: a condition characterised by the eyes not working properly together, causing blurred vision in one or both eyes. It’s estimated to affect around 1 in 30 children in the UK.

Allergic eye disease: an inflammatory condition of the eyes that tends to affect children more severely than adults. It causes eye discomfort and redness and is often found in those who also have hayfever, asthma or eczema.

Strabismus/squint: this is where the eyes are misaligned and so don’t look in the same direction at the same time. Squint is believed to affect around 2 in every 100 children. Some children experience double vision due to squint/strabismus.

Ptosis: a condition where the upper or lower eyelid droops excessively, which can affect your child’s vision as well as their appearance.

Childhood cataracts: while cataracts usually develop with age, childhood cataracts (clouding of the natural lens of your eye) can develop because of eye trauma, infections during pregnancy or genetics. It’s quite uncommon.

Nystagmus: characterised by rapid, involuntary eye movements, nystagmus can develop in babies or later in life and cause a range of symptoms, from balance issues to sensitivity to light.

Myopia: short-sightedness (where objects are clearer when held close). This is an increasingly common problem and there are now evidence-based treatments available to slow the progression of myopia in children.

Eyelid lesions: children can have many different types of lumps or bumps that appear on their eyelids. Most are harmless, but they can be unsightly.

Watery eyes: Many babies are affected by recurrent discharge from one or both of their eyes. This is due to a blockage of the tear drainage system.