Paediatric Ophthalmology Flashcards
What is amblyopia?
Vision development disorder (lazy eye)
- eye fails to achieve normal visual acuity
- poor development of binocular visual pathways
What are some of the causes of amblyopia?
Squint
Refractive error
Obstruction to visual axis e.g. cataract, ptosis
How is amblyopia managed?
Occlusion treatment (patch) to good eye
What is a squint? What are the other words for it?
Abnormality of the co-ordination of eye movements
- aka strabismus, tropia
What are the two main types of squint?
Convergent squint –> esotropia
Divergent squint –> exotropia
What does a convergent squint look like and what causes it?
Affected eye turned in
- may be no cause or due to hypermetropia
What does a divergent squint look like?
Affected eye turned out
Which type of squint is most common in children?
Convergent (esotropia)
What are some other causes of squint?
Congenital Hypermetropia CN palsies Muscle problems e.g. Browns, myasthenia gravis Orbital problems e.g. blowout fracture
What is a pseudo squint?
Wide epicanthic folds can give the appearance of squint
How is a squint diagnosed?
Corneal reflection (reflection of light falls symmetrically if no squint AND Cover test (movement of uncovered eye to take up fixation as other eye is covered)
How is a squint managed?
3 O’s:
- Optical –> correct refractive errors with glasses
- Orthoptic –> patch good eye to treat amblyopia
- Operations (if other methods are successful)
What is the surgical option for squint management?
Recession + resection of rectus muscles to align eyes for cosmesis
What should be done if a child has no/abnormal red reflex?
Urgent referral
- must be checked at newborn screening exam
What are the causes of an altered colour of red reflex (pale yellow)?
Asymmetrical camera shot (most common)
Retinoblastoma (rare childhood cancer)
Coloboma
