The development of a child starts from the time of birth itself. All the milestones depend on the well being of your child. Sometimes parents couldn’t know that their child might have vision problem because most of the kids have no idea about any kind of vision problems thus couldn’t tell about it. That’s why a parent has to be vigilant not only about other health issues but also about the vision problems. To prepare your child for school they need to develop the eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills to learn to read and write. This is the time for development of visual abilities that a child needs throughout his or her life.
The following are the most common warning signs to see if your child has a vision problem:
Up to 1 year of age:
- After the age of 3 months a baby should be able to follow or track an object with their eyes.
- A baby at this age should be able to make steady eye contact.
- After the age of 4 months regular inwards or outwards drifting is abnormal.
Toddlers:
- If your child’s eyes become misaligned it’s time to see a doctor.
- At this age the problem of lazy eyes or amblyopia may not have any warning signs. If your child has problem in reading you should get his or her eyes checked.
Other signs which can be seen at any age:
- Squinting the eyes, sign of poor vision.
- Tilting head while reading can be a sign of muscle imbalance in eyes.
- Holds the book close while reading or sitting too close to watch TV or close one eye to read.
- Crossed or lazy eyes where eyes do not work together.
- Confusion about left and right directions on partial basis
- Disliking or avoiding reading.
- If your child has poor hand-eye coordination.
- If the child rubs eyes during reading frequently.
- Skips the lines or words while reading.
- If the child is sensitive to light.
- Difficulty in copying the text from one page to another.
- Easily distracted while reading or difficulty in paying attention.
- Frequent complaint about frontal headaches.
- Redness or watery eyes.
- Has difficulty in remembering, identifying and reproducing the shapes and colours.
- Trouble in following an object with eyes and avoid distance-vision activities.
Many times, eye issues go undiagnosed for years. If you notice any of these problems with your child you should take your child for vision screening. A regular screening is advisable to avoid any such issues because these problems can hinder the development of your child.
– Yashoda Datta Sharma –
Mommy of twins with a passion for writing. Loves to help fellow moms to in the wonderful journey of motherhood. She has done B.A. LL.B and LL.M and her hobbies include writing and photography. She also loves to travel.