Don't Neglect Mammograms out of Fear

Five Signs That Your Child Needs To Have Their Vision Checked

Children are mysterious creatures. Although children are often required to get regular eye exams through their pediatrician, these tests are not foolproof and, depending on your doctor, might not come frequently enough to guarantee that your child's vision will be tracked efficiently. Luckily, there are some signs you can watch for at home and in everyday life that can help you know whether your child might need glasses now or shortly in the future.

Sitting too close to the TV. While some kids do this occasionally out of instinct, repeatedly sitting too close to the TV might mean that the child is having a hard time making out details from a distance.

Sensitivity to light. If your child's eyes have problems contracting appropriately, this could result in increased sensitivity to light. If your child complains of discomfort when transitioning to a bright environment, it might be an additional sign that their eyes need examined.

Squinting or closing one eye. Whether they squint while reading or close one eye observing something further away, frequent squinting or closing one eye can be a sign that your child is trying to adjust for a lack of focus in their vision. Squinting lets in less light allowing the eye to focus on details better and is a sign that glasses might be needed.

Frequent headaches or tired eyes. Lots of TV and homework in the life of a child can be hard on the eyes, but if headaches are frequent and don't seem to be linked to obvious strains, or if they frequently complain of tired eyes, they may need to be taken to an optometrist. When your child's eyes or brain is frequently compensating for blurred vision, headaches or weary eyes can be the result.

Losing place when reading. If your child is far-sighted, meaning they have difficulty seeing things close-up, they might experience some difficulty reading. While your child may be able to make out individual words on a page without too much difficulty, far-sightedness can interrupt the flow of reading at a normal pace. As the brain tries to track along rapidly through a written page, blurred vision can cause the brain to lose its visual clues for where your child was last reading, causing them to get lost in the page.

There are no foolproof ways to know whether your child needs to get their vision checked. Many factors can temporarily disrupt vision, so the only way to know for sure is to take them in for a thorough eye exam from a trained professional at a place like Premier Eye Care & Surgery


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