by Tanni Haas, Ph.D.
About one-quarter of kids need eye glasses or have other vision problems that require a visit to the ophthalmologist or optometrist. But how do you know if your kids are among them? “Small children can’t tell you if they’re not seeing well,” says pediatric ophthalmologist Dr. Luke Randall, “and older kids may not recognize their blurry eyesight isn’t normal.” In this article are the most common signs that it’s time to make an appointment with a pediatric eye doctor.
They sit or stand very close to the television screen, “One of the biggest hints that a child may need an eye exam,” Dr. Randall says, “is taking note of where they sit when watching TV. Dashing up to stand in front of the television is usually a sign that their eyes need to be checked out.” If your kids sit or stand very close to the television screen, chances are that something might be wrong with their eye sight, not just that they can’t get close enough to all the exciting programs that they’re watching.
The same is true when your kids hold their phones or laptops close to their face. “If your child needs to sit very close to screens to see them clearly or needs to get very close to text to read it,” says optometrist Dr. Sara Johnson, “it can be a sign that they have myopia (nearsightedness).” Phones and laptops are designed to be held at a safe viewing distance, and holding them too close can have a detrimental impact on kids’ eyesight.
Another tell-tale sign is that your kids are hunched over when they do their schoolwork or are drawing something. “Kids who need an eye exam,” Dr. Randall says, “will often sit hunched over their drawings or homework, which keeps the paper and their writing closer to their faces.”
You can also tell if a trip to the eye doctor is needed by watching to see if they rub their eyes a lot. It’s common to rub your eyes when you’re tired, but if your kids rub their eyes while reading, they may have a vision problem. “Rubbing the eyes is a common practice among children who don’t have the verbal skills to communicate a problem with their vision,” Dr. Lazarus says, “and instead try to rub the blurry vision away.”
Also notice whether they tend to keep one eye closed a lot, especially when they’re reading or playing a game on their phone or laptop. “This might indicate that your child sees better out of one eye compared to the other,” Dr. Johnson says. “Closing one eye enables the stronger eye to send a clear image to the brain, resulting in clearer vision.” You can also tell which eye your kid is having trouble with by covering each of their eyes one at a time and then asking them what they can see and which eye sees more clearly.
Squinting is another possible sign of vision problems. When you squint, the shape of your eyes changes a bit, making it easier to see what you’re looking at. It limits the amount of light that enters the eyes and focuses incoming light directly onto the center of the retina. “Squinting (at something close or something at a distance),” Dr. Randall says, “is a dead giveaway that your child’s vision may not be what it can be.”
Complaints of frequent headaches can also be a sign that your child may need to see an eye doctor. Dr. Randall says, “While frequent headaches don’t necessarily mean your child has an eye problem, it can be an indicator that a child is having trouble seeing.” This is especially the case when kids complete near vision tasks like doing work on their laptop or reading a book. “Headaches typically occur,” Dr. Lazarus says, “when the child’s eye muscles have to work extra hard to focus on the images in front of them.” Another possibility, which an eye doctor can assess, is if they’re photophobic (sensitive to light). “If your child is getting headaches when they are outside for some time,” Dr. Johnson says, “this can be a sign that they’re photophobic.” The eye doctor can prescribe special eyeglass lenses and sunglasses to reduce the severity of your kid’s sensitivity to light and help them see more clearly in bright conditions.
An even clearer sign that something is amiss is if your kids complain about eye pain or other eye problems. “Eye pain may be a symptom of something as minor as eye strain,” Dr. Randall says, “but it can also indicate another health problem.” The same is true for complaints about itchy, burning, or scratchy eyes, Dr. Frederick says. The underlying cause could be something minor or something more serious. An eye doctor will be able to tell.
Tanni Haas, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Communication Arts, Sciences, and Disorders at The City University of New York – Brooklyn College.
