British News Agency

Dr. Salih Koç pointed out that excessive light sensitivity, squinting of the eyes while focusing on an object, balance disorders, itching, and redness can be early signs of eye diseases in children. He said, "Healthy and well-functioning eyes, which play a significant role in a child's development, also positively affect the quality of life for children. Early eye examinations in children are important not only for the early diagnosis of eye problems but can also provide clues to certain systemic diseases. Premature babies should be evaluated by an eye doctor for 'retinopathy of prematurity,' which can result in unilateral or bilateral blindness and requires urgent intervention."

Dr. Koç explained that in timely born healthy babies, eye examinations are conducted in the first month. He said, "We check if there are any negative pathologies on the retina behind the eyes, if there are any opacities that obstruct the visual axis. Therefore, children must be examined by an eye doctor in the first month. At six months, we routinely examine for strabismus. When a child reaches one year of age, we can perform refractive examinations. If no problems are detected, we shift our routine examinations to the age of three and preschool. At these ages, we also conduct refractive examinations."

Dr. Koç emphasized that parents should pay attention to the amount of time their children spend with electronic devices and should control it. He said, "As children's mobility increases and they begin to do things on their own, their interest in electronic devices also grows. Many children engage with mobile games or tablets before they even learn to speak. This can lead to vision problems in children. When we reach the school age, vision problems generally manifest as not being able to see the board or not being able to transcribe what they see onto paper. 'Amblyopia' or lazy eye is associated with other conditions such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism and can be corrected with glasses and occlusion therapy. However, parents should be cautious about this and, if possible, bring their children for eye check-ups at the age of seven and follow the doctor's recommendations."