Children's eyecare

What is a squint?

A squint is a condition that commonly affects children during development. It’s caused by an issue with the way the eye muscles work together, which can result in an eye that turns inwards or outwards, blurred vision, reduced vision in the affected eye, or a combination of all of these.

How common is it?

Around 1 in 20 children have a squint and it usually appears before the age of five. We assess for squints during a children’s eye exam.

How is it treated?

Squints can be treated with glasses, eye exercises or sometimes referral on to an ophthalmologist for further assessment.

What is astigmatism?

Astigmatism is an eye condition that causes blurred or distorted vision. It happens when the shape or the cornea and/or lens is shaped differently.

How common is it?

It’s very common. Many people have some degree of astigmatism, sometimes in combination with near or far‑sightedness.

How is it treated?

In most cases astigmatism is easily corrected with glasses or contact lenses. Without this, astigmatism can cause headaches, eye strain and tiredness, particularly after doing tasks that involve focusing on something for long periods, such as reading or using a computer.

What is myopia?

Also known as nearsightedness, people with myopia experience blurry vision in the distance, but often have relatively clear vision up close.

How common is it?

About one in three people are nearsighted. Myopia can develop as early as 1‑2 years old, but it tends to start and progress as children enter their teenage years.

How is it treated?

In children, myopia is easily corrected with glasses.

What is amblyopia?

Also known as lazy eye, if your child is diagnosed with an amblyopia, it usually means that one of their eyes is weaker than the other, causing them to rely more on their stronger eye.

How common is it?

Around 1 in 50 children develop an amblyopic or lazy eye and it’s usually detected during a routine screening or at their first eye exam.

How is it treated?

Glasses are often prescribed to improve vision in both eyes and, where possible, balance the clarity of vision in each eye. If vision in the weaker eye doesn’t improve with glasses, then sometimes patching therapy will be recommended by the optometrist. This is designed to strengthen the weaker eye over time and can sometimes be coupled with other vision training exercises. This kind of treatment can be very effective, particularly if it’s started early.

What is hyperopia?

Also known as farsightedness, children who are farsighted may struggle with near vision more than distance vision, although depending on the degree of far‑sightedness, both distance and near vision may be blurry. A particular symptom of far‑sightedness is tiredness or blurriness when reading.

How common is it?

At birth, almost everyone is mildly far‑sighted. Vision normally improves within the first 12 months of life, but for some children this doesn’t happen and far‑sightedness can progress from an early age.

How is it treated?

Management can depend on the degree of far‑sightedness and any related symptoms. Sometimes young children are monitored closely before glasses are prescribed, but if there is a significant degree of far‑sightedness, glasses will help them to see clearly.