Though children can be very expressive at times with phrases that they learn online or in school, the same may not be so when they feel discomfort that they think they can easily brush off.
Hence, as a guardian, it’s important to pay attention to these five signs your child needs prescription glasses.
1. They blink or rub their eyes a lot
Excessive blinking or rubbing may mean that there’s something causing irritation in your child’s eyes. This could be pollen, allergies, or dust and can be treated at home with over-the-counter prescription eye drops.
This may also be a sign that they’re experiencing eye fatigue. This is because they’re straining their eyes too much by trying to focus or see.
2. They’re always squinting
If you notice your child squinting a lot, it may mean that they’re trying to improve the clarity of their vision. You can assess this yourself by asking them what they’re having trouble looking at.
If they’re having trouble seeing things up close, then they may have farsightedness. Similarly, if they have trouble seeing things at a distance, they may have nearsightedness.
3. They complain of a headache
Headaches could be a result of your child exerting too much effort in trying to fix their focus. Because of this tension, they could be getting headaches or even feel nauseous.
This can be more prominent in school especially if they’re seated far from the board. They could be straining themselves by trying to make the words clearer.
4. They’re too clumsy
Clumsiness is mostly more prominent in younger children as they first learn how to walk and navigate the world.
Although this may be cute, you may be mistaking their inability to see clearly for clumsiness. Observe their movements carefully to check if they have trouble seeing obstacles in their path.
You can even test this out yourself by putting items such as stuffed animals or toys in their path. Check if they seem to acknowledge the presence of these items or if they seem to be completely unaware of their existence.
5. They hold things too close to their eyes
If your child is holding their book or hand-held device too close to their eyes, this may be in an attempt to make the words or images appear bigger.
This also goes for if they’re sitting too close to the television or if they’re too close to the computer screen.
Though you can enlarge images on the computer screen, it would still be best if you would have your child see an ophthalmologist to do some tests.
After paying close attention to these five signs your child needs prescription glasses, we recommend visiting your trusted eye clinics to have your child’s eye checked by a professional.
To keep your kids active and healthy, we have some recommendations for fun lessons you might want to enroll your kids at: