If your child is struggling in terms of academics, an undetected vision problem might be the underlying cause. The problem is children don’t usually let their parents know if they are having trouble seeing. So, how can you determine if your child needs glasses? The easiest and most efficient way of doing that is getting an annual eye exam. Eye doctors will help you monitor vision changes along with early vision rectification.
Nevertheless, in between those exams, it is important that you be vigilant about the symptoms indicating your child’s need for glasses. Listed below are signs that will alert you about any eye problem that your child may be facing.
Squinting
Squinting is more or less like looking through a pinhole. Squinting decreases the size of the blurred image at the back of the retina, and is a temporary way of improving vision and could be a sign that your child is compensating for bad vision.
Tilting Of Head
Titling can be a sign that your child has strabismus or muscle imbalance. He or she may have double vision when looking in a certain direction. Tilting the head may reduce the double vision to a more convenient level.
Sitting Close to the TV
Watching the TV or computer screen by sitting close or lowering the head when reading, is usually a sign of nearsightedness. This is a condition where people have perfect vision at a close range and bad vision at a distant range. Moving close to an object helps bring it to a clear focus point and makes the image clearer and larger.
Frequent Tearing
Children usually have a condition called lag ophthalmus, where the eyes dry out during nighttime since the eyelids do not shut completely while sleeping. This can result in unnecessary tearing during daytime, which will affect clear vision.
Losing Track When Reading
Skipping words or lines while reading can mean an eyesight problem and is often the result of an eye muscle issue.
Frequent Headaches and Eye Pain
Brow aches, eye pain or frontal headaches are often the result of untreated farsightedness. Your child may be trying to clear their poor vision, which instead turns into headaches.
Eye Rubbing
Rubbing the eyes frequently is a sign of eye fatigue and may be the root of all kinds of vision issues. Medical conditions, like allergic conjunctivitis, may also result in vision problems.
Sensitivity to Light
Exotropia, which is a type of muscle problem, is usually characterized by occasional squinting with one eye when exposed to sunlight. This is often interpreted as light sensitivity.
Finger Pointing When Reading
Pointing with your finger when reading is not always considered a bad sign, but can be seen as a sign of uncorrected vision issue, like amblyopia. Amblyopia is often seen as a condition that reveals a “crowding” phenomenon, where words or letters appear crowded or close to other words or letters, making them difficult to read and recognize.
So, if you notice any of these symptoms in your child, he/she might require glasses.
