Occluders for the treatment of strabismus: description, features of therapy

Every parent dreams that his child is healthy. But, alas, very often there are cases when problems begin already in childhood or at all from the very moment of birth. One of the most frequent phenomena among toddlers after a year is impaired vision, for example, strabismus.

To eliminate it, it is recommended to use children's occluders. But first things first.

Types of strabismus

There are several classifications of strabismus. Depending on the deviation of the parallelism of the eye view axes:

• Convergent;
• Divergent;
• Vertical.

Depending on the nature of the occurrence:

• Congenital;
• Acquired.

Depending on the form:

• Friendly - in this case, the eyes are mowed alternately, and the deviation from the central axis remains equal;
• Paralytic - is manifested as a result of defects in the oculomotor muscles or optic nerve diseases, with the main burden being placed on the healthy eye, as the patient is poorly obeyed or does not move at all.

The causes of strabismus in children

Strabismus in a child can develop for several reasons:

• Diseases of the brain that are infectious or post-traumatic;
• Inflammatory and other processes in the eye muscles;
• Untimely compensation of vision abnormalities;
• Birth trauma ;
• Strong physical, visual, nervous loads.

What to look for

Visiting such a doctor as a children's oculist is necessary if you have the following symptoms:

• A three-month-old baby can not follow the objects simultaneously with two eyes;
• Incomplete lifting of one of the eyelids, which prevents normal vision;
• The child covers one eye to view distant or closely located objects;
• Eyes look in different directions or their twitching is observed.

The specialist will help diagnose the disease in time and prescribe the necessary type of treatment. Perhaps, it is necessary to buy a baby occluders for children (for the eyes) or to choose another way to get rid of the problem.

Risk group

There is also a so-called risk group. Children who enter it are more prone to problems with vision, including strabismus. This applies to those kids whose family members have any vision pathologies. Therefore, they need to conduct diagnostics as early as possible in order to get rid of the problem even at the time of its inception. In particular, this applies to babies after a year.

In addition, premature babies are prone to squinting . This is due to abnormalities in the development of the muscular system of the eye apparatus. Although preterm strabismus may be temporary in preterm infants and, if properly maintained, does not require special measures.

Ways to get rid of the problem

There are several ways that will help to normalize the child's vision and save him from strabismus. A child's oculist can prescribe corrective glasses. This happens in most cases, when the child reaches the age of one year.

To treat strabismus, doctors recommend wearing eye patches - occluders. They are necessary for activating the activity of mowing eyes. Previously, for these purposes, conventional eye patches or cardboard inserts in glasses were used, but in the modern world, occluders are much more comfortable to use.

Types of occluders

To date, there are many types of stickers for the eyes. Occender children are very comfortable to wear, do not cause severe discomfort and do not cause allergic reactions. Of course, this applies only to quality products, so the choice should be approached with special care.

On the contour of the occluder there is a thin strip of glue that helps fix the product on the child's eye and at the same time does not harm the tender skin of the baby's eyelid. In this case, the products of some companies (glued to the eye) can be removed only with third-party assistance. This is necessary so that the baby can not remove it on his own and does not interfere with the proper process of treatment.

Occender children are available in a wide range: a lot of interesting drawings and color combinations pleases the eye, and the crumb will be able to choose for themselves the option you like. In addition, they are classified by gender and age categories of the patient. As an example, you can consider the occluders Ortopad.

Labels on the eyes can be disposable and reusable. The first are available in the form of a patch with a soft insert, which is able to adapt to the anatomy of the face and at the same time perfectly closes the eye. It is worth noting that this option is quite costly.

Reusable occluders are usually made of silicone, and they are attached not to the eye, but to the lens of the glasses. This option is more economical for parents, and more comfortable for the child. The only drawback is that the baby can start to spy. The second kind of reusable occluders is made of non-woven materials. It must be worn through a slot on the rim, as a result of which the review of the desired glazika is completely closed, and peeping something becomes problematic.

Rules for using the occluder

To begin with, it is worth noting that wearing a glue on the eye can recommend only a children's ophthalmologist. During the consultation, he will talk about the rules of its use.

As practice shows, parents often have difficulties in persuading a baby to start wearing an occluder. It is still very difficult for him, and sometimes it is impossible to explain at all that all this is done for his own good. In such situations, it is recommended to start wearing a sticker in the game form and gradually. For example, to begin with, you can do this while reading books or watching cartoons, constantly increasing the time with glued eyes. It will not take much time, and the child will get used to the attribute. The main thing in this difficult matter is not to give up and confidently go to the goal.

A child suffering from strabismus should wear an occlusive child all day, without even taking a minute break. As a result, the brain will begin to give the eye muscles signals to the correct, direct, and not oblique vision. In this case, treatment should be carried out until the moment of full recovery, so that this process becomes a habit.

It is important to remember!

The success of treatment primarily depends on the correctness of its conduct and discipline of the patient. The child in this case should never look with two eyes at the same time! In case of removal of the sticker (for example, during a night's sleep), he must necessarily close a healthy eye.

As an example, the following data can be cited:

• If the baby was looking with two eyes for 1-2 minutes - the whole day wearing the occluder went to nothing;
• If the child looked with two eyes for about 7-10 minutes - lost a week of treatment;
• If it took place within 1-2 hours - you can judge the lost month;
• In cases when, for whatever reason, a bandage on a healthy eye was not worn for a whole day - "a cat under the tail" for a whole month of therapy!

The above statistics are aimed at ensuring that parents understand the importance of discipline in this matter and do not allow any indulgence.

And let the wearing of the occluder bring temporary inconveniences, but in the future the child will thank you for your patience and perseverance. After all, strabismus is not just a cosmetic defect. With its presence in the future, there may be problems with employment in areas that require coordination of movements and special care.