- Your child might be experiencing eye problems and it can easily go unnoticed.
- Shortsightedness and farsightedness are some of the common eye problems.
- Here are 6 signs that your child might have eye problems.
It is important for parents to identify if their child has an eye problem at an early age because if it is delayed it might lead to challenges at school.
They will be strained with seeing and concentrating in class, they might struggle with schooling tasks such as reading, writing, using devices, seeing on the board or screens and many others. Therefore if you identify that your child has eye problems then you should immediately have them checked at an optometrist.
According to a World Health Organization (WHO) article the common eye problems are:
Myopia (shortsightedness)
Myopia isthe ability to see near objects clearly but far objects become blurry.
Hyperopia (farsightedness)
Hyperopia is the ability to clearly see distant objects but see close objects with a blur.
Astigmatism
Astigmatism is an eye problem where the lens inside the eye is curved, causing distorted vision and making it difficult to see nearby or distant objects.
Presbyopia
Similar to myopia, presbyopia is an eye condition where you struggle to focus on nearby objects. This does comes with ageing.
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"Identifying whether your child needs glasses can sometimes be challenging, but understanding the signs can help you make an informed decision," states Wesley Language from Execuspecs as he shares some of the common signs that children show once they are faced with eye problems.
1. Frequent squinting and having a blurry vision
Wesley states that when children are frequently squinting, they are most problem faced with an eye problem and they are squinting because they are trying to reduce the amount of light entering their eye and increase the focus on what they are looking at.
Wesley states that this might be a sign of short sightedness or farsightedness.
Wesley adds that children who experience farsightedness also often avoid reading because they are challenged with seeing objects that are up close.
2. Sitting too close to screens
Similar to frequently squinting, sitting closely to a screen, whether TV or device screen, can be another sign of short sightedness and that your child cannot see objects from afar.
3. Complaints of a headache
If your child frequently experiences a headache after reading a book or doing homework, then chances are your child is faced with uncorrected vision issues.
4. Covering one eye
Covering one eye when reading or watching TV might be a sign of double seeing, also known as diplopia. This is an eye condition that makes you see one object in duplicates.
Wesley states that experiencing diplopia might be a sign of uncorrected vision issues such as astigmatism.
5. Difficulty with concentrating
Some children who are faced with uncorrected vision issues face challenges with concentrating, especially when it comes to concentrating on tasks that require visual attention such as reading or writing.
6. Rubbing eyes frequently
If your child is frequently experiencing discomfort, fatigue or strain with their eyes and are frequently rubbing their eyes, that might be a sign of an underlying eye problem.
