Signs and Symptoms Your Child Needs an Eye Exam

Children with poor eyesight struggle a lot. However, most of them do not know they have a problem. Hence, parents must pay attention to any symptoms that may mean their child needs an eye exam.

Regular eye care is vital in the early detection of vision problems in children. The sooner your child gets the treatment necessary, the more the quality of their life improves. However, ascertaining that your child has an eyesight problem can be challenging. They may not know they have vision problems if they have had them all their life.

As a result, they may not communicate their struggle. Fortunately, children often have similar ways of adapting to poor vision. Thus, recognizing the symptoms becomes easy. Read on to learn the signs and symptoms your child may show when needing an eye exam.

Struggling in School

Several issues can cause low grades and poor behavior in school. But first, rule out vision problems before you consider other factors. Most children struggle to engage visually with their reading material. As a result, they do not do so well in school. They then act out because of the frustration, confusion, and boredom the vision problems cause them.

Short Attention Span 

Sometimes, having a child with a short attention span can be confusing for a parent. It could mean they have a learning disability. However, children with myopia often do not focus on objects or people at a distance because of their inability to see them. They will often focus on things close by that they can see. As a result, you may notice that they get distracted easily. Hence, an eye exam is necessary to help identify the problem and help correct their vision early enough.

Squinting

Your child may have farsightedness if they squint when looking at objects close by. They may have nearsightedness if they squint while looking at objects at a distance. An eye exam will help diagnose the vision problem to help with treatment.

Regular Eye-rubbing

Children who rub their eyes frequently and complain of fatigue and headaches likely have eyestrain. An eye exam will help get a prescription to help correct their vision and relieve the symptoms.

Lazy or Crossed Eyes 

Early intervention is always necessary for conditions like amblyopia or strabismus. Otherwise, lazy or crossed eyes can damage their vision permanently. Take your child for an eye exam whenever you notice their eyes are crossing or misaligned. Early treatment will help evade long-term problems.

Covering One Eye 

Children who struggle to see often cover one eye to allow the other to focus better. Most often, vision can be worse in one eye than the other. Your child can adapt to this problem by using their hand to close the faulty eye so they can see better with the other eye.

Evading Physical Activities

Your child can have problems with hand-eye coordination due to poor depth perception and distance vision. As a result, they may often appear unathletic or clumsy. Your child may have a vision problem if you notice that they avoid physical activities like sports and games in favor of books, drawing, or screen time.

For more on children needing eye exams or to book a visit, call Southwest Orlando Eye Care at (407) 271-8931 to reach our office in Orlando, Florida.