A WHO statistics of 2014 shows that
285 million people have been estimated to be visually impaired throughout the
world while 39 million are blind and 246 have low vision. The rising number of
optical stores, which specialize in designing spectacles, is a pointer to this.
These stores mostly have one optometrist who is qualified in assessing the
degree of vision defect in your eyes and recommend appropriate glass for the
same. However, for any problem with your eyes you should first visit an
ophthalmologist, as he is the one who has in depth knowledge about the anatomy
of the body and in particular, the eyes and their functioning. Nevertheless,
what is more worrying is the number of children with defective vision. It is
common to see children wearing spectacles these days.
Pediatric
ophthalmologist
Doctors that deal with children’s
vision defects are known as pediatric ophthalmologists. The job of a pediatric
ophthalmologist is more specialized in comparison to that of an
ophthalmologist. An ophthalmologist has to undergo specific training to treat
children with defective vision. As pediatric ophthalmology is a niche
specialty, there are not many of them in Mumbai too. So, a pediatric
ophthalmologist in Mumbai is a busy doctor who commands a
high price.
Normally they focus on the development
of the visual side, along with the various types of diseases which have an
impact on the visual development of a kid. They are also trained in such a
manner that they can go on to manage the ocular diseases which effect the
children. They are qualified to perform the complex surgeries of the eyes and
to deal with any problems that arise in the eyes or medications. Considering
the unique needs of the children and to tackle ocular diseases, it is a common
occurrence that the generally physician may refer you to them. They are also
trained where they monitor the eye movements of adults.
Pediatric
ophthalmology is a unique specialty
Usually all ophthalmologists have a
training about treatment of vision defects in children. However, a pediatric
ophthalmologist has additional training and skill in treating children’s eye
and vision problems. Neurologic development of vision in children takes place till
the age of 12. If there is any congenital defect in the eyes of a child then
such neurologic development can be affected. In that case, your child may
suffer from amblyopia which is also known as lazy eyes. So, congenital problems
like strabismus which means misalignment of the eyes, myopia, hyperopia, and
astigmatism which are together categorized as uncorrected refractive error, and
anisometropia which stands for asymmetry of refractive error between the eyes,
need to be sorted out early and treated. This calls for some kind of surgery
and only a pediatric ophthalmologist should be trusted to conduct such
corrective surgery.
Pediatric
cardiology is also unique
Like pediatric ophthalmology,
pediatric cardiology is also unique in nature. Pediatric cardiology is a
specialized niche of cardiology. Such a doctor has to undergo training and
acquire skills to diagnose and treat heart problems in children. A pediatric cardiologist in Mumbai also
commands a higher price in comparison to a cardiologist.
Heart
abnormalities in children
Cardiologic problems in children can
be detected right from the fetal stage. Abnormal diagnostic findings such as
heart murmur, chest pain, dizzy spells, etc. can indicate heart problems in
children and infants.