Ambulance 912HAP 9252
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Squint in children

With a squint, the eyes do not always look at the same point. One eye may turn inwards, outwards, upwards or downwards. Early assessment matters because the brain can suppress the image from one eye, leading to a lazy eye and permanently reduced vision.

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With a squint, the eyes do not always look at the same point. One eye may turn inwards, outwards, upwards or downwards. Early assessment matters because the brain can suppress the image from one eye, leading to a lazy eye and permanently reduced vision.

  • One eye turns inwards, outwards, upwards or downwards, constantly or mainly when tired.
  • The child closes one eye, tilts their head or turns their face to see better.
  • Have your child wear prescribed glasses consistently, and promptly replace poorly fitting or damaged glasses.
  • Follow the patching schedule exactly; more hours of patching is not automatically better and can harm the better eye.
  • Arrange an appointment promptly if one of your child's eyes regularly or constantly turns away from alignment.
  • For urgent GP care outside normal opening hours, call HAP 9252. Call Ambulance 912 only for an immediately life-threatening situation.

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Lazy eyeA lazy eye, also called amblyopia, means vision in one eye does not develop properly, even though the eye itself may look almost normal. This mainly happens during childhood, while the brain is still learning to process images. Early recognition and consistent treatment matter because recovery is more likely while vision is developing. Causes may include a squint, different focusing strengths between the eyes or blocked vision. Call immediately for a new white pupil, sudden new squint, drooping eyelid, sudden vision loss or a child suddenly looking at things differently.
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Reduced vision in childrenA child may see less well because of a focusing error, a lazy eye, a squint or an eye disease. Early checks matter because young brains are still learning to see. A white pupil, sudden sight loss, a painful red eye or serious eye injury is a warning sign.
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Reduced vision from brain injury around birthIn cerebral visual impairment, the brain processes images less well because of injury or a developmental problem around birth. The eyes may look normal. Vision often varies with busy surroundings, fatigue and the task.