Preparing for kids to go back to school can be a busy time. From new clothes and shoes to backpacks and stationery, there is a lot to buy and prioritize for your child to put their best foot forward. Your child’s vision health may not be as apparent, but it is also a vital element to consider.
Difficulties with vision can impact their learning and their interactions with classmates. Vision challenges often manifest gradually, but recognizing the early signs that your child may need glasses is essential.
Make a Back-to-School Vision Check Your Priority
An estimated 6.8% of U.S. children under the age of 18 have a diagnosed vision condition. Clear vision is fundamental to your kid’s learning and development. If vision issues are left untreated, they can cause disruptions to everyday life, including academic performance, reading comprehension and confidence levels.
Although your child’s school may offer visual screenings for students, a thorough eye exam with one of our eyewear experts is the best course of action. They will be able to diagnose your child’s specific visual issues and recommend appropriate options, such as corrective lenses or glasses.
7 Signs Your Child Needs Glasses
As well as noticing signs at home, your child’s teachers may also spot indicators of vision problems in the classroom. For example, they may ask to move closer to the board when taking notes or make mistakes when copying because they are straining their eyes. Here are seven vital signs on how to know if your kid needs glasses:
1. Excessively Rubbing Their Eyes
Constant rubbing of the eyes could indicate that your child needs glasses. Eye rubbing can be a sign of refractive errors, including farsightedness (hyperopia), nearsightedness (myopia) and astigmatism. An eye exam will determine which type of refractive error is affecting your child.
2. Eye Pain and Headaches
Eye sensitivity to light, also known as photophobia, can cause eye pain and headaches. Exposure to light may become uncomfortable and, in some cases, painful. Headaches are also common in children with astigmatism, and other children suffering from headaches and weak vision may have hyperopia.
3. Devices Close to Their Eyes
If you notice your child sits closer to their devices or the television, this may be a sign of a refractive issue, such as myopia. Myopia is a common diagnosis for people under the age of 20. Holding devices close to their eyes will also cause temporary eye strain and may lead to headaches.
4. Poor Concentration at School
A decline in your child’s performance at school could be because of an issue with their eyesight. They may struggle with tasks that appear simple to their classmates, like reading and writing. Having clearer vision with the help of glasses can significantly improve a child’s learning in the classroom.
5. Closing One Eye
Perhaps you have noticed your child covering one of their eyes when watching television or reading a book. It could be a sign of misaligned eyes (strabismus) or double vision (diplopia). There are two variations of diplopia. Binocular diplopia occurs when your child experiences double vision with both eyes open, while monocular diplopia occurs when your child experiences double vision with only one eye open.
6. Head Tilting
Head tilting could be a sign of myopia, diplopia or lazy eye (amblyopia). Amblyopia is a condition that can cause vision issues in one or both eyes. It is a common diagnosis for young children and babies. Start treatment for amblyopia as soon as your child receives a diagnosis. A droopy eyelid and vision cloudiness (childhood cataracts) can cause amblyopia.
7. Excessive Blinking
Excessive blinking could be a sign of an allergic reaction to animal fur or pollen. But if you notice your child regularly blinking more than usual, it is a key sign that they need an eye exam. Blinking is also a sign of myopia and other refractive errors and could be related to strabismus. In some cases, eye exercises or surgery may be options for correcting eye misalignment.
When Should You Schedule a Pediatric Eye Exam?
Generally, your child should have a pediatric eye exam annually, starting from the time they begin school. Before the school years, your child will need an eye exam between the ages of 6 and 12 months, then another between the ages of 3 and 5 years old. Between the ages of 6 and 18, children require a yearly eye exam.
An eye exam uses various tests to determine eye health:
Visual Field Test
A test for visual acuity involves detecting blind spots and measuring the level of peripheral vision, which refers to the area of vision at the edges. For this test, your child will focus straight ahead while indicating whether they can see moving objects to the sides.
Pressure and Movement
A pressure test involves gently touching the eye with a tool or administering a small puff of air to check for glaucoma. Glaucoma is a condition that may damage the optic nerve, often due to too much pressure in the eye. A movement test requires your child to look at an object or light to examine eye muscle strength.
Refraction
Your child will look through a refractor or phoropter device at images, using different lens types. A refraction test determines the appropriate prescription lenses. For example, if your child does not have 20/20 vision, they will likely have a refractive error.
Visual Acuity
Also known as the Snellen Test, visual acuity requires your child to read letters in a line. The bigger letters are at the top, with smaller letters at the bottom. As they work down the lines, the letters appear smaller and smaller. The Snellen Test determines sharpness and optical clarity.
If your child needs to wear glasses after their eye exam, our guide on choosing kids’ glasses covers all the essential information you need to know.
Trust Eyemart Express With Your Child’s Eye Health
There is no common age for kids to get glasses. Therefore, it is important to check your child’s vision regularly to prevent issues from holding them back from reaching their full potential at school. Eyemart Express understands the pressure that comes with kids going back to school. That is why we have made it easy for your child to access the eye care they need, even with busy lifestyles.
Our eyewear experts are available to help with your child’s journey to wearing glasses — from prescribing the right lens to choosing the perfect frames. The team offers fast and efficient same-day service, allowing you to collect new glasses in a blink and see the moment. Drop by your local Eyemart Express store or book your child’s eye exam online.
