Parents often ask this question, Do my children have an eye problem? When they see their child squinting, or having difficulty seeing. Some children have clear signs of vision problems while others don’t.
In this article, we will explore the signs and symptoms that could indicate vision problems in kids and some tips to help protect your child’s vision. We will also discuss the importance of regular eye examinations.
You may already be aware of the importance of choosing a frame for your child that is comfortable, attractive and durable enough to withstand daily wear and tears.
Why Children Need Glasses?
Children’s eyes are still developing, so glasses can ensure that their vision is developed properly for learning. Children may need glasses for the following reasons.
- To Improve their vision
- Strengthening the vision of a weak eye or an amblyopic one (lazy).
- Improve the position of your eyes (crossed or misaligned)
- Protecting those with poor vision in only one eye
Signs Your Child May Need Glasses
Here are some signs that your child might have vision problems and need glasses.
- The act of squinting. This may indicate that your child suffers from a refraction error which can affect the ability to focus on images. Squinting can temporarily improve an object’s clarity and focus.
- Covering one eye or tilting the head. To increase clarity, your child may cover one eye or adjust his or her angle of vision by tilting their head. This could be an indication of misalignment or that your child suffers from amblyopia (also known as lazy eye), which is one of the most common eye conditions in children.
- Holding hand-held devices or sitting too close to a television can cause poor vision. Poor vision can be caused by sitting too close to a television, using hand-held devices close to your eyes or lowering your head when reading. Nearsightedness or myopia is characterized by clear vision up close and poor vision from a distance. Bring an object closer to make the image larger and clearer.
- Rub eyes excessively. Excessive rubbing of the eyelids may be a sign that your child has eye strain or fatigue. This could indicate a variety of eye problems, including allergy conjunctivitis.
- A child complaining of eye or headache pain may be trying to focus their blurred vision by over-exerting his or her eyes.
- Inability to concentrate on schoolwork. Children need to be able to adjust their focus quickly from far to close and to a variety of objects, including chalkboards, computers and textbooks.
Does my child need glasses forever?
It depends on the prescription and whether there is a squint. Most children should wear glasses until they reach the age of eight years. If your child can see well enough without glasses after this age, they may be able to do so if their vision has not developed too much.
As your child grows, the short-sightedness tends to get worse. Astigmatism can distort vision both near and far and is only corrected by glasses. In cases where children’s squints are corrected by glasses or surgery is not possible, glasses may still be required. However, in future, they may be able to wear contact lenses to achieve the same result as glasses. It is important to discuss the decision with your clinician.
The Importance of an Eye Exam to Your Children
Children should have regular eye exams for many reasons. They may struggle to read, write, or play sports if they are having vision issues. Eye exams are a great way to detect problems and address them before they affect a child’s development and learning.
Even if your child is unable to express their concerns, an optometrist will be able to diagnose the problem and offer treatments.
Children’s eyesight can quickly change, so it is important to catch problems early to avoid them worsening. Optometrists suggest that children of school age have their eyes examined every year. Their first eye examination should be done at only 6 months.
How to Keep Your Child’s Vision Healthy?
Limit screen time
An increase in screen time can worsen vision problems that have not been corrected. To protect your child’s vision, limit screen time and encourage frequent breaks. Breaks are also helpful for other near-vision tasks like reading, drawing, or writing.
Eat healthy
A diet rich in vegetables and fruits, which are full of vitamins and minerals can protect your child’s eyesight.
Spend more time outside.
Many children spend many hours every day engaging in near-vision activities. They can look at distant objects when they are outdoors. Their eyes will recover from fatigue and strain. Kids can also get vitamin D and be more physically active by playing outside.
Sleep enough
Both our bodies and eyes can heal while we sleep. Your child’s eyes may have a harder time recovering from the effects of everyday life or environmental irritants if they don’t get enough sleep.
Wearing protective eyewear is important.
You can prevent 90% of eye injuries by wearing protective eyewear. Wear protective glasses when your child participates in sports and other activities to prevent injuries. Sunglasses that offer 100% UV protection can protect your child’s eye from the sun. Over time, UV rays can cause damage to the eyes.
What are Refractive Errors?
Refractive errors are caused by the shape of your eye. They can cause blurry vision. Refractive error is one of the most common problems with vision.
The parts of your eye act as a relay to send light from your eye to your brain. The cornea, the transparent part of the eyeball, is where light passes. The cornea converts the light into a signal which is then sent to your retina, the layer located at the back of your eyeball. The retina converts the light into electrical signals, which your optical nerve then sends to your head. The brain uses these signals to create images.
The Most Common Types of Refractive Errors are:
Nearsightedness (myopia).
Nearsightedness (myopia), or, is a condition that makes it difficult to see distant objects. However, objects close up can be seen clearly by people with this condition. Nearsightedness can make it difficult to see signs along the side of the highway until they are just a few inches away or outside your car window.
Nearsightedness is usually caused by your eye growing too long from the front to the back. Nearsightedness can also be caused by a corneal or lens that is too curved.
Astigmatism
It can be present alone or with other conditions such as long- or short-sightedness. This is because the cornea (the surface of the front of the eye), rather than being a round football, has multiple focal points. This is a case where vision for both objects in close proximity and those at a distance are blurred/distorted.
Myopia – short-sighted
As the eyeball grows larger, light enters the eye and is focused in front of the retina rather than directly on it. The vision can be blurry at any distance, but especially in the distance.
Hyperopia (farsightedness)
Hyperopia (hyperopia ) makes it difficult to see close objects. Hyperopia is the opposite of myopia. You may be able to read the words on the screen from the other side of a room but struggle to see the notes on your laptop in front of you.
Farsightedness is caused by your eye becoming too short in length from the front to the back. Your cornea or lens may also be too flat.
Those with farsightedness tend to be born with the condition.
What are the symptoms associated with a refractive error?
All refractive errors will worsen your children’s vision. Your children may also experience this symptoms:
- Blurry vision, either close up or at a distance.
- Double Vision (Diplopia).
- Headaches.
- Squinting.
- Eye strain.
- Eye Pain.
Kids may not even be aware that their vision is deteriorating. You might notice that your child is having difficulty concentrating, or their grades are suddenly dropping. They may have a refractive problem. If you notice changes in your child’s behaviour, eyesight or vision, visit your eye specialist or pediatrician.
