Vision Defect

Subject: Child Health Nursing

Overview

This is a visual impairment whereby close objects are viewed clearly but distant objects appear blurry. It is hereditary and typically brought on by disease, injury, or eye infection. Cone-shaped photoreceptors in the retina of the eye allow for color vision. Rapid eye movement, inability to discern between colors, and difficulties seeing shades or tones of the same hue are some of the clinical signs of a visual problem. Color blindness has no known treatments. In some circumstances, color filters or contact lenses can be used to increase brightness.

Vision Defect ( Visual Impairment)

During childhood, visual impairment is a typical issue. Between 30 and 64 children per 100,000 people are thought to be blind or have severe visual impairment in the pediatric population. Another 100 kids out of every 100,000 also suffer a less severe kind of visual impairment.

Causes of visual impairment

Visual impairment can be caused by a number of genetic, prenatal and postnatal condition that includes:

Genetic causes: Sickle cell disease, Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, Tay- Sachs disease, Albinism
Prenatal conditions include pre- natal infections: Such as herpes, chlamydia infection, gonorrhea, rubella, syphilis or toxoplasmosis, retinopathy of prematurity and trauma.
Postnatal conditions include postnatal infections: Meningitis, trauma, penetrating wounds, and foreign bodies in the eyes, lacerations, sports (baseball, basketball), thermal or chemical burns.
Other diseases recognized as responsible for visual impairment are Cataract, refraction error, corneal opacity, glaucoma, trachoma, malnutrition, retinal detachments, tumors, leprosy, tuberculosis etc.

Types of visual impairment with short descriptions

Refractive errors

Myopia(nearsightedness):
Ability to see objects clearly at close range but not at a distance. This condition is developed due to elongation of eyeball causing an image to fall in front of the retina.
- Clinical presentation
  - rubbing eye excessively
  - tilts head or thrusts head forwards
  - holds book close to eye/poor vision for distance
  - clumsy walks into objects
  - blinks more than usual
  - poor school performance
  - dizziness
  - headache
  - nausea following close work
- Treatment
  - Myopia is corrected with biconcave lens that focuses rays on retina
Hyperopia (Farsightedness):
Ability to see objects at a distance> It results from eyeball that is too short, Causing image to focus beyond retina
- Clinical presentation
  - A child is able to see distant objects clearly but near vision is impaired. Usually, the children may complain of eye strain, headache, redness of the eye, blurring of vision, fatigue etc. If correction is required, use a convex lens to focus rays on the retina.
Astigmatism:
- Unequal curvatures in refractive apparatus. It results from unequal curvatures in cornea or lens that because light rays bend in different directions. A child may present with features of myopia. Treatment is achieved by correcting with special lenses that compensate for refractive errors

Things to remember

This is a defect of vision in which far objects appear blurred but near objects are seen clears.
It is inherited and usually caused by Injury or illness and eye infection.
Color vision is possible due to photoreceptors in the retina of eye known as cones.
The clinical features of vision defect are difficulty distinguishing between color,inability to see shades or tones of the same color and rapid eye movement.
There is no known treatment for color blindness.
Colour filters or contact lenses can be used in some situation to enhances the brightness

Questions and Answers

Define vision defect and list down its causes ?

This is a visual impairment whereby close items are viewed clearly while distant objects seem blurry.

Cause

It is hereditary and typically brought on by sickness or injury.
Cone-shaped photoreceptors in the retina of the eye allow for color vision.
Diseased eyes.

What are the treatment method of vision defect?

Treatment for Vision Defect

Color blindness has no recognized treatments.
In some circumstances, color filters or contact lenses can be used to increase brightness.
Offer wholesome foods.
Eye treatment.
Ensure cleanliness.