Diagnosing and Managing Eye Problems in Children course for GPs

This session covers the principles of testing vision in children in primary care. The process of how to check corneal light reflex is described along with the principles and management of strabismus and amblyopia. Leukococoria in young children is considered along with the importance of early recognition and treatment. The session also covers the management of both common and less common eye conditions including watery eye and orbital cellulitis.

This session was reviewed by Khyati Bakhai and last updated in March 2022.

Learning objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• list the principles of vision testing in children and conduct an assessment of the corneal reflexes
• describe the principles and management of strabismus and amblyopia
• identify leukocoria and the importance of the condition in a child
• describe the management of a child with a watery eye
• distinguish signs of orbital cellulitis as a potentially life-threatening condition

Although the prevalence of significant visual impairment is low in childhood, affecting around 0.2% of the population, eye conditions are common in children (6%) and may have lifelong implications. It is thought around 2% of the child population has strabismus (squint) and 4% do not have stereoscopic vision.