Examination of a Child

Abstract

Chapter written in collaboration with Swetha Sara Philip. Examination of a child, especially the very young, is many a young ophthalmologist’s nightmare. It is a daunting task; as examining a child is not only dealing with the child but also with the parents/primary caregiver. For a child, a doctor (including an innocent ophthalmologist) is synonymous to a ‘white-coat vampire’, hurting and drawing blood. It may take a few visits to the hospital, especially for very young children, before they become cooperative, provided their visits each time has been pleasant. A fruitful consultation would help cut short the number of repeated hospital visits for the child and the parent. Special strategies are required to evaluate a child. From history onwards, collection of information from a child is very different compared to an adult. Assessing children with conditions like cerebral visual impairment can be an additional challange and is discussed rarely.