Definition
It is estimated that one in ten children in Germany cannot see properly. It is important for the child to learn to see correctly and for its development that both eyes function properly. An uncorrected visual impairment can have serious consequences for eye and brain development. But it is also important for social life and later school and professional life to be able to see correctly. It can sometimes be very difficult to detect a visual impairment in one’s own child.
Causes
The most frequent causes of visual impairment in children are structural defects of the eye. In this case, the images from the surroundings are not correctly recorded and/or not correctly assembled in the brain. These structural defects include farsightedness (hyperopia), nearsightedness (myopia), astigmatism and strabismus.
One eye or both eyes may be affected and different defects may occur together. A red-green vision weakness or blindness is always congenital. Since it is inherited via the X chromosome, ten times as many men as women are affected.
The consequence is that the gene for the colors green or red is not correct or not present at all, so that these colors cannot be recognized by the uvula in the retina. In everyday life, this defective vision is often not a hindrance. In later life, only certain professions, such as policeman or pilot, may not be practiced at all or only after special ophthalmological examination. A red-green vision deficiency cannot be treated and does not change in the course of life.
Signs of visual impairment in children
In small children, the following things can be signs of visual impairment: squinting, trembling eyes, strikingly large or watery eyes, rubbing in the eyes, grimacing, constant tilting of the head, pupil rigidity when exposed to light, whitish pupils or yellowish pupils when exposed to direct light, light shyness or a clouded cornea. Also twisting the eyes without looking at anything, reaching past objects or not fixing the eyes of objects or persons can indicate a visual impairment. In older children the signs are somewhat more diffuse. Concentration problems, headaches, clumsiness, balance disorders and difficulties in
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