Dr. Velle Lohdip, a consultant ophthalmologist and Director, Medical Services of the Plateau Hospital Management Board, says children can also develop cataract and glaucoma.

Lohdip, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Jos, said that children who had family history of cataract and glaucoma were more predisposed to developing the eye diseases.

He revealed that other causes of childhood cataract, apart from the hereditary factor, were trauma, electric shock and drugs.

He explained that childhood cataract was a progressive loss of vision which is often painless; and which causes the lens to lose its transparent nature making light difficult to pass through.

The ophthalmologist also explained that glaucoma was the damage of the optic nerves in the eyes which caused retrogression of the vision.

He said that glaucoma was often asymptomatic because of the progressive painless loss of vision; and if not detected early, could lead to blindness.

He, however, pointed out that though damage to the eyes by glaucoma could be irreversible; cataract on the other hand was easily treatable if detected early.

According to the consultant, early detection and treatment of glaucoma can enable a child get their full visual capacity, but a case that is discovered late, leading to surgery, can reduce the effective function of the eyes.

He advised that parents who had family history of cataract and glaucoma to ensure regular eye checks for their children.

Lohdip maintained that unattended eye diseases in children could lead to blindness, but early diagnosis and treatment was very critical in maintaining children’s sight. (NAN)

– Mar. 14, 2019 @ 11:20 GMT |