Signs Your Young Child Is Having Sight Problems

23 November 2017
 Categories: , Blog

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Sometimes, it can be challenging to know your child's needs. They might not be able to fully communicate things that are bothering them, or they might not realize a symptom when they've been struggling with it for so long. For example, when your child has eye problems and has never been able to see perfectly, they might not understand that things can be better.

Parents should know how to notice the signs of vision problems. Intervention can help your child in school, when meeting new people, and even with better future eye health. These are the signs to look for:

Avoidance

Some children with poor eyesight will tend to avoid tasks that require good seeing. For example, your son or daughter might resist reading alone, and always request to be read to. They might complain about going to school or dislike coloring or crafting with small beads. 

Squinting and Sitting Close

Squinting is a coping mechanism for poor eyesight because it's the eye's attempt to bring things into better focus by restricting how much light travels through the eye. Your child might squint when trying to see the board, words on books, or even when walking outside. Another coping mechanism is sitting close when your child is watching television or playing games on a tablet. Your child might also hold books and pictures very close to their face. 

Complaints of Headaches

Constant eye strain causes eye fatigue, and most children will feel soreness as a result. If your child is often saying they have a headache, make an appointment with the eye doctor just to make sure that the underlying reason for the headaches is a need for glasses. 

Rubbing and Resting

Your child may touch their eyes more when they have trouble seeing. Rubbing is common because it provides temporary relief from eye fatigue. Your child may even like to lie down and close their eyes frequently during the day. Blinking frequently can also be a sign of eye fatigue. In severe cases, your child might even complain that their eyes are dry or itchy.

Accidents

Children who don't have good depth perception or who have astigmatism may not be able to fully see obstacles in their path or they might not have the best hand-eye coordination. Clumsiness is unfortunately common. Before writing off accidents as normal, have your child's eyes checked. 

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