Looking after your child’s vision

Good vision is essential for a child’s educational, physical and social development. Recent research has suggested that one in four children require immediate attention or ongoing assessment of their vision.

Parents play a vital role in a child’s vision by being aware of signs and symptoms of eye problems. Children do not always complain when something is wrong. Regular eye examinations help to identify vision problems before they become serious.

Some of the common vision problems seen in children are myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. These are easy to detect and rectify. Symptoms can vary. Some children’s eyes turn in or out when they look ahead, they might screw up their eyes when watching television, or their eyes might be frequently red, watery and sensitive to light.

Other signs are behavioural in nature. Reading material such as books are held too close, or perhaps the child loses his or her place when reading. Other signs include skipping words, confusing words, lack of concentration or illegible handwriting. These are just some of the clues for parents that indicate their child might have a vision problem.

At Ezekiel Eyes, we recommend that all children be examined from school age on a yearly basis until their early 20s. It is during these years that vision can change dramatically.

School vision screenings are not a substitute for routine examinations.