Congenital myopia is the most serious form of myopia, which is diagnosed, as a rule, in newborns during the first year of life. There is a pathology against the background of developmental disorders of the eyeball during the period of intrauterine formation of the embryo. Doctors call a genetic predisposition the main cause of the onset of the disease. It is very important to detect congenital myopia as early as possible and begin appropriate treatment.
general information
Pathology occurs in a baby even at the stage of intrauterine development, affecting the eyeball. After the birth of the baby, the disease begins to progress rapidly. Defect is characterized by modifications in the size and shape of the organ. With this disease, the eye is slightly retracted and has an oval shape.
According to doctors, congenital myopia (according to ICD-10 code H52.1) is directly related to genetic factors, as it is often transmitted to children from parents. If at least one of them has a diagnosis of "myopia", then the chances that the disease will pass to the baby are extremely high.
In addition, congenital myopia of the eyes often occurs due to past illnesses in the first trimester of gestation. The risk group also includes premature babies. Children with a congenital form of pathology need increased attention of parents and doctors, as the disease can progress extremely rapidly.
What are the differences between the acquired and hereditary variety of vice? The fact is that the first type of disease is formed throughout a person’s life, but the congenital type develops in the prenatal period. Such a pathology is much more difficult to treat and, as a rule, progresses very quickly.
Varieties of ailment
The degrees of congenital myopia in children are exactly the same as in the acquired form of the disease. According to the type of course, the pathology is progressive and non-progressive. Often a child is born already with a high degree of congenital myopia. This is another significant difference between the hereditary defect and the acquired form, which progresses rather slowly.
Given the severity of the clinical picture of the disease, there are several degrees of myopia:
- weak type, in which serious complications are not observed, up to three diopters;
- the middle variety, characterized by clouding of the lens and vitreous body, up to six diopters;
- high appearance, provoking the development of cataracts and even in some cases, complete loss of vision, more than six diopters.
Congenital myopia is divided into several categories:
- refractive variety - the axis of the eye remains normal, but the cornea and lens are larger than normal;
- mixed type - both indicators are outside the normal range;
- combined view - a non-standard combination of the sizes of the refracting sphere and the eyeball;
- axial class - the eyeball has an elongated shape, but the refractive indices are within normal limits.
Reasons for the appearance
As already mentioned, the prerequisites for the development of congenital myopia in children lie in a genetic predisposition. If the baby's family has relatives with this defect, then the likelihood of intrauterine myopia is significantly increased. Medicine knows several factors leading to the onset of the disease:
- heredity;
- hypoxia or prematurity of the fetus;
- abnormalities of the lens, eyeball or cornea;
- various damages;
- poor hygiene;
- increased intraocular pressure;
- malnutrition;
- all kinds of diseases of infectious pathogenesis;
- prolonged stay near a computer or TV.
Symptomatology
With a diagnosis of "myopia", the patient sees quite well near, but poorly in the distance, objects are very blurry at an impressive distance, and clarity is completely absent. The presence of myopia is indicated by the presence of characteristic signs:
- the habit of wrinkling his forehead and squinting;
- lack of opportunity to consider objects in the distance;
- discomfort, pain in the eyes;
- blinking too often;
- the desire to bring objects as far as possible to themselves;
- half-year-old babies often have squint;
- rapid fatigue of the visual apparatus.
Parents need to carefully monitor the behavior of their child at any age. This is especially important for those in whose family there are people with a diagnosis of "myopia." If the baby blinks too often, rubs his eyes with his hands, suffers from migraines, you should immediately contact an optometrist or pediatrician.
Congenital myopia can begin to develop rapidly at any moment. That is why, to get the best effect, you should start treatment as soon as possible.
Diagnostic Features
The main task of doctors is to quickly detect a baby with congenital myopia. If the defect is not diagnosed in time, this can trigger the occurrence of more serious complications.
An ophthalmologist carefully examines the baby in the maternity ward, however, it is quite difficult to detect myopia in a newborn baby and it does not go away in all cases. In hospitals equipped with modern devices, there are great opportunities to identify pathology from the age of three months.
In the case of late diagnosis of high grade congenital myopia in children in the first year of life, abnormalities of the visual apparatus, refractive amblyopia, strabismus can occur - all these complications significantly impair vision and are not amenable to treatment.
To make an accurate diagnosis, visual acuity is determined, as well as skioscopy, ophthalmoscopy and ultrasound examination of the eye. The study of the bottom with confirmed myopia is carried out once during the year.
General principles of treatment
Therapy for congenital myopia directly depends on the rate of progression of the pathology. If the child's vision drops insignificantly, to 0.5 diopters, then the patient does not need special treatment. But be that as it may, young children with such a diagnosis should be constantly, systematically observed by a qualified ophthalmologist.
All therapeutic methods are aimed primarily at ensuring that congenital myopia does not progress and the vision of a small patient does not deteriorate. It is also very important to reduce the likelihood of concomitant defects in the visual apparatus.
Optical correction
This is one of the main treatments for mild to moderate congenital myopia. After detecting the disease, the optometrist selects appropriate corrective lenses or glasses for the child. With a mild form of the disease, these agents can be used only when the baby needs to consider objects in the distance, for example, during a walk.
With a high degree of congenital myopia in children, constant use of glasses is necessary. Lenses are recommended only at an older age, for example, during school, because they need to be constantly looked after, and small patients are not able to cope with this.
To prevent the rapid development of myopia, parents should pay due attention to the sick baby. Not all children like to wear glasses, so it is extremely important to monitor compliance with medical recommendations. Indeed, the use of optical correction can prevent the onset of amblyopia. And contact lenses make it possible to get rid of strabismus.
Drug therapy
If a weak degree of myopia is detected, as a rule, the child is prescribed vitamin complexes containing trace elements useful to the eyes. Very popular drugs are those that include lutein: for example, Okuvayt or Vitrum Vision. In case of significant visual impairment and the development of high congenital myopia, nicotinic acid products, for example, Trental, are effective.
To normalize intraocular pressure, children are recommended all kinds of medications for the eyes, and Irifrin drops are often used. Medicines containing atropine help the ciliary muscles relax and, moreover, eliminate spasm. To strengthen the ocular blood vessels, oculists usually prescribe Papaverine and Ascorutin. Medications significantly slow down the progression of the disease and eliminate disorders in the bloodstream of the retina.
Physiotherapeutic procedures
Hardware treatment makes it possible to stabilize the accommodation of the eyes, to prevent the occurrence of strabismus, astigmatism and other serious consequences. To improve vision, it is used:
- electrical stimulation - helps stop the development of myopia, in some cases, returns the child to subject orientation and improves vision;
- vacuum massage - improves blood flow, the functioning of the ciliary muscles, increases the hydrodynamics of the visual apparatus;
- infrared laser therapy - enhances the blood supply to the visual organs, eliminates spasm during accommodation.
Doctors also include collar massage, electrophoresis, and acupuncture as effective physiotherapy procedures. However, all these courses can be prescribed exclusively by the attending physician. For the first results to appear, the child needs to go through at least 10 sessions.
Gymnastic exercises
Physical education for the eyes is considered very useful in congenital myopia. Any child is capable of mastering and performing Bates exercises every day. When conducting physical education, it is necessary to keep your back evenly, while the head should remain motionless:
- alternately you need to look to the left and right;
- then you should turn your eyes counterclockwise and along it;
- the next step is to gently press the fingertips onto the closed eyelids;
- and finally - blink intensively with eyes.
With congenital myopia, the Bates method brings good results in the case of diagnosing a weak and medium form of pathology.
Surgical intervention
The operation is deservedly considered an effective method of treating congenital myopia, but it is used exclusively in extreme cases. There are several ways to perform surgical intervention:
- Scleroplasty is recommended for rapid vision loss and rapid overgrowth of the eyeball. Surgery helps prevent sclera sprain, while strengthening the back of the retina.
- Keratotomy is most often used precisely with a congenital form of myopia. Such an operation is considered extremely complex, but effective.
Laser methods for correcting the congenital form of myopia are used only when the patient reaches adulthood. To risk the health of the baby at an earlier age is not worth it.
Forecasts and Prevention
Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely cure congenital myopathy today, especially if the disease is accompanied by complications and hereditary factors. Therapy allows you to stop the drop in vision and significantly reduce the risks of negative consequences. The most dangerous is a progressive variety of myopia with further pathological changes in the retina.
To prevent intrauterine onset of myopia in a baby, a woman in position should carefully monitor her health. It is very important to eat a balanced diet, consume vitamin complexes recommended by your doctor. In addition, a woman should abandon all bad habits, as often as possible walk in the fresh air and adhere to the general rules of personal hygiene.
If there is a genetic predisposition, it is necessary to inform the pediatrician about this factor - this way you can carry out early diagnosis of the disease and proceed with the appropriate treatment.