As your kids are beginning to settle into their new school year, you might start to notice a few signs that they aren’t seeing correctly. Hopefully they’ve already had their back-to-school eye exam, but if they haven’t, pay close attention to the following behaviors. Your kiddos may be having difficulty seeing clearly, and it’s important that you schedule an eye exam for them as soon as possible.
Problems in School
Often times, children with vision problems will exhibit the same symptoms as a child with ADD or ADHD. This is because it is difficult to concentrate when they cannot see the chalkboard/SmartBoard clearly, and their mind begins to wander. This can heed their ability to visually keep up in class, and so they fall behind. Before getting your child checked for ADD or ADHD, schedule an eye exam first to rule out vision problems. This will prevent your child from unnecessary narcotic medication that he or she may not need.
Squinting or Reading with One Eye Shut
Squinting is “a subconscious attempt by the brain to clear blurry vision,” and continuous squinting may lead to headaches. If you see your child squinting, this is a clear sign that he or she needs to see an eye doctor. Squinting doesn’t help us see better, and it causes more harm than good. Likewise, if you see your child trying to read with one eye, this is also a problem. “Either the brain is trying to eliminate a blurry image in one eye, or it is compensating for a lack of alignment between the two eyes.” Schedule an eye exam immediately if you see your child squinting or reading with one eye.
Complaints of Headaches
There are a lot of different reasons your child may be having headaches. It could be due to stress from school work, lack of sleep, dehydration, or emotional stress, but it can also be from poor vision. If your child complains of headaches often, about once a week or more, this is a sign that he or she is due for an annual eye exam.
Low Reading Comprehension
This is a sign of both ADD and poor vision. Children who complain about reading a sentence or paragraph over and over and are unable to remember it need to be checked by a doctor. Children with ADD have low reading comprehension because they are thinking of other things while trying to absorb the information they are reading, and children with poor vision have problems reading because they are thinking about trying to read each word on the page. These children may begin to feel that they aren’t as smart as the other kids who don’t have these problems, so it’s best to get a check-up from a doctor to make sure your child stays confident in his or her school work.
Complaints of Double Vision and Other Vision Problems
If your child complains of double vision, this is a serious problem. He or she could have a misalignment between the eyes, and it could lead to a lazy eye. It could also be a sign of more serious medical problems affecting the nerves that control the muscles in the eyes. An eye exam can reveal if a child truly needs glasses or only wants glasses because other kids in the class have them.
Your child’s eye exams are just as important as regular doctor check ups. At VisionFirst, we know how important your child’s health and happiness is, and we want to make sure they are set up for success in this new school year. Call today or schedule your child’s appointment online for your convenience and SEE your best at VisionFirst.