Our sight is one of the most essential senses we use every single day which is why it’s so important to find out if your child needs glasses early on. However, kids don’t always communicate that they have blurry vision or understand that their eyesight could be better. Thus, learning how to tell if your child needs glasses is important so they grow and develop in a healthy manner with the best possible eyesight.
Below are a few of the major signs your child may need glasses.
They Have Difficulty Concentrating on Schoolwork or Devices
One potential sign your child may need glasses is if they are sitting very close to the TV. Because they have a hard time focusing on details if their vision is poor, this may be the only way for them to see better. The same goes if they are holding a tablet or other device very close to their face. It is recommended to encourage break from the screens every 30-60 minutes.
Another sign may be that TV, movies, or schoolwork don’t hold their attention. This is especially true for schoolwork where children need to be able to focus on both near and far objects rapidly to write notes in class or even just to work on homework. It may just be a simple matter of correcting their vision non-invasively to solve the problem.
Your Child Is Squinting or Rubbing Their Eyes Excessively
While rubbing their eyes on their own could simply be them feeling tired or have dry eyes, if they do it regularly throughout the day it could be more than that. Other causes include eye fatigue or eye strain, both of which may require glasses to resolve.
If your child can’t see near or far objects without squinting, they also may need glasses. Squinting may be a sign that your child has a refractive error, which affects how well the eyes focus on an image. Through squinting, they may be able to better focus on an object, an issue that can easily be resolved with the proper treatment.
They Get Headaches or Eye Pain
If your child has poor vision or other underlying optical issues with their eyes, this often puts more strain on their sight and over time can cause eye pain. This can often manifest itself as headaches since the eyes are working harder to produce normal vision. Regular headaches may simply require glasses or other corrective options to fix this.
They Are Tilting Their Head or Covering One Eye to Focus
Another potential sign your child may need glasses is if they are tilting their head or covering one eye to focus. In this case, they may have a lazy eye and need to adjust the angle of vision in an attempt to increase clarity. Having a lazy eye or “amblyopia” is a common issue with children, but can easily be corrected with glasses or other treatment options.
Overall, it’s important to recognize any vision issues your child may be experiencing early on so they can grow up with the best sight possible. We recommend to get your child’s first eye exam at 6 months of age, age 3 and then annually at age 5 and up.