Eye problems can start very early in childhood, and if not detected and managed well it can have impact to kids development and performance in school. This makes it very important for parents, guardians and everyone involved being aware of some behavior changes and habits that could be a sign of a serious eye problem.
Below is a list of some signs of underlying eye problem;
- Squinting (partially closing their eyes to see something better at either near or distance.) or tilts head to see better
- Complain frequently about headaches or tired eyes or even eye aches.
- Avoid activities that require near vision, such as reading or homework
- Avoid activities that require distance vision, including participating in sports or play activities
- Sits too close to the TV or holds a book too close to the face
- Loses place or skips words while reading
- Rubs eyes frequently
- Closes one eye to read ,watch TV or see better
- Writes uphill or downhill
- Finds it difficult to copy material from the whiteboard.
All of this highlighted signs and symptoms might NOT be very obvious and easy to detect earlier on, thus it’s important to take action and visit your Optometrist for an eye checkup.
The most common challenge among school-going kids is increasing cases of myopia (shortsightedness) which affects the kid’s ability to see clearly at distance. Most kids might not be aware of their situation since they tend to believe that’s how people should be seeing. This can have direct consequences in there school performance and attitude towards learning.
There is a myth around watching TV at close range might harm kid’s eyesight. Most of the cases is that those kids are trying to compensate their poor ability to see well at far by going closer to the TV. So if this is a habit, you might have it checked by your Optometrist.
Common symptoms like persistent headaches and eye strain might be sign of latent hyperopia or accommodative cases. This is commonly after a prolonged near work and tend to occur in the afternoons or evening times. It’s easy to rule out these cases out by visiting an Optometrist rather than assuming them or think that the kid is pretending.
Significant difference between two eyes ability to see well can easily cause this symptoms and if not managed early can lead to Amblyopia or lazy eye.
