Presentation of the “The Eyes of Children” concept
You may have landed on this site by chance and are wondering what the concept behind “The Eyes of Children” is. Dr Pierre-François Kaeser, a university lecturer and clinical researcher, director of the paediatric strabology and ophthalmology unit at the Jules-Gonin Ophthalmic Hospital in Lausanne, and founder of the project, explains to you!
Keep parents informed and quickly detect children’s visual problems
Since 2014 and thanks to the support of the Ingvar Kamprad Fund, the Jules-Gonin Ophthalmic Hospital organises, every two years, a free screening and information day on children’s eye diseases. Unfortunately, Covid made it impossible to set up such a day during the pandemic, which accelerated the development of the site, finally published online in 2020. Good vision is indeed a real public health issue.
Making information accessible and fun
The objective of this information platform, available in 8 languages, is to explain in simple terms common symptoms and visual pathologies that can occur in childhood, so that parents around the world can quickly detect a vision problem in their child.
Parents, key players in the child’s visual development
It is rare for a child to complain about poor vision. However, when a visual pathology exists, it is essential to carry out an eye examination quickly to institute appropriate treatment.
Since parents and those close to the child are the best observers of the child’s development, we initially designed the “The Eyes of Children” brochure, which currently exists in eleven languages. It provides an introduction to the normal development of a child’s vision, as well as the signs and symptoms that may indicate a vision problem.
This means that parents can play an active role in their child’s vision screening, discussing any problems they may have noticed or suspected with their paediatrician or ophthalmologist, so that their child can be checked as early as possible. In children, the earlier an eye problem is detected and corrected, the faster and more effectively it can be treated.
The different information on visual impairment that you will find on “The Eyes of Children”
We have designed this website with different sections, to answer any questions you may have about your child’s vision problems.
Symptoms
In this tab, we detail the different symptoms that can impair vision. Headache, visual fatigue, poor near or far vision, red or swollen eyelids, discomfort with bright light, frequent squinting, blurred vision, and an eyelid that covers the eye are all concerning signs. We explain the right actions to take.
Vision disorders
Has your child been diagnosed with an eye condition, and would you like to know more? Our eye specialists detail different diseases such as myopia, hyperopia, congenital glaucoma, dry eye, nystagmus, amblyopia or strabismus. You can discover the disease in detail, the actions to be taken and the treatments and corrections available.
Vision tests
If you have the impression that your child or baby may be suffering from an eye disorder, we give you the first hints on how to carry out an eye test.
Children’s Vision
Here, you will learn all the stages of vision development, from birth to 7 years of age. Do you wonder when children begin to develop colour vision, when they achieve clear vision or at what age their field of vision widens? You can find all the answers in this section. We also give you some tips on how to choose the right glasses and sunglasses for your children.
FAQ
Our ophthalmologists and orthoptists answer the most common questions about children’s eyesight on video.
Brochures
Available in Albanian, German, English, Arabic, Brazilian, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Serbian and Swedish, the brochure “The Eyes of Children” gives you all the tips you need to detect an eye disorder in your child. “How to prevent the risk of myopia in your child” is also at your disposal. You can download or order multiple copies.
We hope you enjoy exploring our site!