What are the tell-tale signs of poor sight in a child?

    by Nazmeen Ahmed, Resident Optometrist at Valli Opticians Blackburn

It is often difficult to tell if your child is having problems with their eyes, some children are more vocal than others and can pinpoint things you didn’t realise they knew about, whilst other children will not say a peep about anything. But, as a parent myself, I know that we are very good at detecting if something is even slightly different.

Some signs that indicate there could be something wrong include:

• Struggling to recognise colours and shapes

• Frequently bumping into things or having problems with coordination

• Not showing any interest in learning to read

• Not progressing or being disengaged at school

• Complaining of headaches regularly – most headaches don’t have an ocular cause, but some children may have a visual problem causing headaches

• Sitting very close to the TV or holding books or objects close to their face

You may also recognise some physical signs:

• Rubbing eyes frequently (other than when tired as this is very normal)

• Squinting, head-tilting or closing one eye when trying to focus

• One eye turning in or out (this may be easier to spot when your child is tired)

• Blinking excessively

If you spot any of these symptoms you should arrange for your child to have a sight test.  Simple treatments like wearing glasses or wearing a patch for a while could be all that your child needs. The earlier that eye problems are picked up, the better the outcome will be.