Mataracy
VIP Contributor
What usually cause Night Blindness and Xerosis is Vitamin A Deficiency and this eye disease is most common in children between 2 and 5 years of age. It comes from not eating enough foods with Vitamin A.
If not recognized and treated early, it can make the child blind.
SIGNS:
- At first, the child may have night blindness. He cannot see as well in the dark as other people can.
- Later, he develops dry eyes (Xerosis or Xerophthalmia). The white the eyes loses its shine and begins to wrinkle.
- Patches of little gray bubbles ( Bitot's spots) may form in the eyes.
- As the disease gets worse, the cornea also becomes dry and dull, and may develop little pits.
- Then the cornea may quickly grow soft, bulge, or even burst. Usually there is no pain . Blindness may result from infection, scarring, or other damage.
- Xerosis often begins, or gets worse , when a child is sick with another illness like diarrhea, whooping cough or measles. Examine the eyes odvall sick and underweight children.
PREVENTION AND TREATMENT
Xeroais can easily be prevented by eating foods that contain vitamin A. Do the following:
- Breast feed the baby up to 2 years, if possible.
- After the first 6 months, begin giving the child foods rich in vitamin A, such as red palm oil, mango, pawpaw or dark green leaf vegetables. Whole milk, eggs and liver, are also rich in vitamin A.
- If the cornea is seen to be bulging, protect the eyes with a bandage, and get medical help urgently.
- In communities where xerophthalmia is common, give 200,000 units of vitamin A once every women during the second half of pregnancy.
WARNING: Too much vitamin A is poisonous. Do not give more than the anount s advises here.
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If not recognized and treated early, it can make the child blind.
SIGNS:
- At first, the child may have night blindness. He cannot see as well in the dark as other people can.
- Later, he develops dry eyes (Xerosis or Xerophthalmia). The white the eyes loses its shine and begins to wrinkle.
- Patches of little gray bubbles ( Bitot's spots) may form in the eyes.
- As the disease gets worse, the cornea also becomes dry and dull, and may develop little pits.
- Then the cornea may quickly grow soft, bulge, or even burst. Usually there is no pain . Blindness may result from infection, scarring, or other damage.
- Xerosis often begins, or gets worse , when a child is sick with another illness like diarrhea, whooping cough or measles. Examine the eyes odvall sick and underweight children.
PREVENTION AND TREATMENT
Xeroais can easily be prevented by eating foods that contain vitamin A. Do the following:
- Breast feed the baby up to 2 years, if possible.
- After the first 6 months, begin giving the child foods rich in vitamin A, such as red palm oil, mango, pawpaw or dark green leaf vegetables. Whole milk, eggs and liver, are also rich in vitamin A.
- If the cornea is seen to be bulging, protect the eyes with a bandage, and get medical help urgently.
- In communities where xerophthalmia is common, give 200,000 units of vitamin A once every women during the second half of pregnancy.
WARNING: Too much vitamin A is poisonous. Do not give more than the anount s advises here.
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