Kid’s Vision

Check list for vision problems in children

Many children experiencing difficulties in the classroom have normal sight. The following signs or symptoms may be an indication that your child has a vision problem:

General Appearance of Eyes

• Eyes not appearing straight
• Excessive blinking
• Squinting to see
• Unnecessary eye movements
• Frequent eye infections or persistent red eyes
• Watery eyes
• Abnormal light sensitivity

Behaviour

• Avoiding close work
• Holding book very close
• Working with head close to the desk
• Poor or unusual posture when reading or working at desk
• Losing place when reading
• Skipping words or lines when reading
• Slow copying from the board
• Making errors when copying
• Writing spacing poor; trouble staying on the line
• Poor concentration
• Persistent head tilt
• Frequent rubbing of eyes
• Head movement when reading
• Squinting to see
• Closing or covering one eye when reading

Complaints

• Blurred vision at distance or near
• Double vision
• Problems keeping vision clear or slow to clear when moving focus from distance to near (blackboard to desk in the classroom)
• Headaches
• Itchy or burning eyes after near work

We generally recommend examinations for children at 3 and 5 years, then annually through school. Many parents are lulled into a false sense of security about their child’s vision as they know that their sight has been “checked” by the school nurses. Unfortunately this is a very simple screening test which does not assess the complex processes involved in developing a comfortable visual system. (For further information see our Behavioural Optometry).

Jo is our Behavioural Optometrist and is a member of the Australian College of Behavioural Optometrists (ACBO).

For more information view our Behavioural Optometry.