One child who has some kind of ocular problem has long to face a long journey in life with struggles.
The child who goes blind is burden to the family, community, and nation. The number of years that a blind child has to face the world is more challenging than the number of years that an adult blind faces. However, most of the causes of pediatric blindness are preventable and avoidable if diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
Nepal is one of the developing countries with population of 2, 32, 00, 000. Those children under 15 years of age are 40% of the total population. There are 18 eye hospitals in Nepal. However, there are only 4 pediatric ophthalmologists working for the children. So there is a great need of the pediatric ophthalmological services in Nepal.
Tilganga Eye Center provides both the outpatient services and the surgical services to the pediatric group. Both the local and general anesthestic services are available here.
The most common probems seen in our set up are:
- Refractive error and amblyopia
- Strabismus
- Pediatric cataract
- Penetrating and perforating injury of the eye
Both the local and general anesthestic services are available here.
Amblyopia, commonly known as lazy eye, is the eye condition noted by reduced vision not correctable by glasses or contact lenses and is not due to any eye disease. The brain, for some reason, does not fully acknowledge the images seen by the amblyopic eye. This almost always affects only one eye but may manifest with reduction of vision in both eyes.
Strabismus, more commonly known as crossed-eyes, is a vision condition in which a person can not align both eyes simultaneously under normal conditions. One or both of the eyes may turn away from the normal position.
Strabismus may result from the refractive error, congenital cataract or or the other intra-ocular pathology in the eye.
Thus it is mandatory to have the ocular examination in all the children.
In the fiscal year 2004-2005, total number of patients below 15 years examined were as follows:
| Total number of male patient |
Total number of female patient |
Total patient |
| 9713 |
8117 |
17830 |
The data of the pediatric surgical services done at TIO in the year 2004/2005 is:
| Types of Surgery |
Under GA |
Under LA |
Total |
| Cataract |
87 |
16 |
103 |
| Corneal Surgery |
15 |
17 |
32 |
| Glaucoma |
25 |
|
25 |
| Retina |
1 |
5 |
6 |
| Oculoplastics |
78 |
9 |
87 |
| Strabismus |
23 |
5 |
28 |
| Others |
29 |
88 |
117 |
| TOTAL |
|
|
398 |
Pediatric cataract surgery and IOL implantation is done routinely in our set up.
The following is the aim of the pediatric eye care services at Tilganga
- To increase the preschool and school screening program
- To enhance the human resource development program in pediatric cataract and strabismus and other surgery
- To facilitate the teaching learning activity to the residents and ophthalmologists at national and international level
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