This department takes care of eye diseases in children.

Our children are our future and proper care of their ocular health is paramount. Children can be afflicted by many eye diseases. They may be born with or develop serious eye problems like cataracts, glaucoma, retinal and orbital tumors; or may need glasses and interventions to see more clearly or for misaligned eyes (strabismus) or poor visual development in one eye (amblyopia).Even before a child can speak, pediatric ophthalmologists can tell what a child sees, if he or she needs eyeglasses or contact lenses, and if any problems exist with the eyes. Children are not miniature adults, and their eye problems require special skill-set, diagnostic and treatment methods different from that of adults. Fortunately, most eye problems can be treated without surgery, but few may require surgical corrections.

The most common problem with a child is that the child usually does not complain of any difficulties. The parents need to consult a doctor, when they notice any of the following problems.

• Prematurely born baby – to rule out or treat retinopathy of prematurity.
• Baby does not fix or follow parent’s face when interacting with parents
• Child faces problems in school in reading/copying blackboard correctly at school
• The two eyes are not aligned/straight, which may be constant or intermittent
• A whitish reflex is visible in the centre of the eye (pupil) when light falls on the eye (can be a sign of life-threatening eye cancer in a child)