Newborn babies who have been found to have galactosaemia have their eyes examined by an eye specialist to check for this problem. Although the diet is for life, the risks of ingesting a small amount of lactose in later childhood are thought to be very small. Later in life, there can be some other problems. Most children with galactosaemia have some learning difficulties, particularly with speech. This seems to be because they have difficulty in processing information.
Speech therapy can be very helpful.
A small proportion of children will have more problems than most. At present, there is no cure for galactosaemia. However, a great deal of research is being done into galactosaemia - some of it here in South Australia. The treatment of galactosaemia is currently entirely based on diet. Children with galactosaemia must not consume any foods made with milk or milk products, such as cheese or ice cream.