{"id":3576,"date":"2023-08-21T16:32:31","date_gmt":"2023-08-21T21:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eyetoeyefamilyvisioncare.com\/?p=3576"},"modified":"2023-09-26T17:15:15","modified_gmt":"2023-09-26T22:15:15","slug":"signs-your-child-needs-glasses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eyetoeyefamilyvisioncare.com\/signs-your-child-needs-glasses\/","title":{"rendered":"Signs Your Child Needs Glasses"},"content":{"rendered":"
Scheduling an eye exam with a family optometrist is the only way to know for sure whether a child needs glasses. The American Optometric Association (<\/span>AOA<\/span><\/a>) recommends children have their eyes examined at least once between the ages of three and five years old; once they start school, children should have a complete eye exam once a year.<\/span><\/p>\n Children are highly adaptable, so they adjust to their lack of - or declining - vision better than adults do. This is why an <\/span>annual, back-to-school eye exam<\/span><\/a> is the most proactive way to support your children\u2019s vision health.<\/span><\/p>\n Rather than verbalizing that things are blurry or they can\u2019t see as clearly as they used to, they typically show signs of needing glasses via body language and other cues.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Here are some of the most common signs a child strains to focus.<\/span><\/p>\n Is your child squinting - even when indoors or out of <\/span>direct sunlight<\/span><\/a>? Squinting is a sure sign the eyes are working harder than they need to as they try to bring things into focus. If they squint when they\u2019re reading, they are probably farsighted. This is very common for younger children, and reading glasses do the trick. Some children actually grow out of it as their eye muscles and coordination grow stronger with age.<\/span><\/p>\n If they\u2019re squinting to read the whiteboard at school, while watching TV, or when you\u2019re driving in the car, they may be nearsighted. A child who squints often may have astigmatism (everything is blurred) or another condition causing vision loss.<\/span><\/p>\n We see this sign most often in younger children - toddlers and preschool age. Winking or cocking the head to the side to see properly indicates that one eye is stronger than the other. This might be a sign of <\/span>a lazy eye<\/span><\/a> or crossed eyes, which are almost always treatable while the child is still young.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Most of us grew up hearing that sitting too close to the TV damages the eyes. This is a myth, but it is definitely a sign that a person may need glasses. If you notice your child holds books really close to their face while reading, or they need to be closer than usual to a tablet or TV screen to see, they should have their vision checked.<\/span><\/p>\n Headaches are a sign of eye strain and should be evaluated immediately. Sometimes, <\/span>eye strain<\/span><\/a> is simply a sign that someone isn\u2019t taking adequate screen breaks or is reading in low lighting. However, it could also mean the person requires prescription lenses.<\/span><\/p>\n Children may not know the term headache or how to verbalize what they\u2019re feeling, so they may also say things like:<\/span><\/p>\n Listen for the small cues that could be a way of communicating eye strain.<\/span><\/p>\n Eye rubbing is another common sign of tired or strained eyes. It can also be a sign of lack of sleep or itching due to <\/span>allergies<\/span><\/a> or an eye infection. If you know your child is healthy and generally well-rested, frequent eye rubbing may be their unconscious \u201ctell,\u201d indicating their eyes are tired, achy, or blurry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s also worth mentioning that chronic <\/span>eye rubbing is not good <\/span><\/a>for the eyes. It may provide temporary relief but also puts the eyes at risk for micro-scratches and abrasions. Over time, this makes eyes more prone to infection and corneal abrasions, which are more serious and can cause vision loss.<\/span><\/p>\n When a child can\u2019t see well it often shows up in the classroom. The inability to see clearly makes it harder for a child to:<\/span><\/p>\n If your child is having a hard time reading, paying attention in class, or complains that \u201cthey hate school,\u201d a visit to the optometrist is in order. We\u2019ll rule out any vision issues contributing to the problem.<\/span><\/p>\n Most kids like reading because they love becoming part of a different world or being entertained by a story. Reading inspires the imagination, a sense of curiosity, and explains feelings and experiences that children may have difficulty expressing on their own.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, reading is not fun if it\u2019s hard or makes your head or eyes hurt whenever you try. It\u2019s not fun if the words are blurry or letters dance around on the page. If your child says they hate reading but love story time, think about the last time they visited the optometrist. If it\u2019s been more than a year, schedule an eye exam ASAP. Vision issues may be blocking their ability to read with ease.<\/span><\/p>\n There is a direct correlation between<\/span> healthy lifestyle choices and good vision<\/span><\/a>. Children who eat unhealthy diets, lack exercise, or don\u2019t get enough sleep are the most prone to having early vision problems. Make sure your child:<\/span><\/p>\n We know things get busy, and it\u2019s not always easy to fit everything into the calendar. There\u2019s no judgment here! We\u2019re ready and waiting to show your child how fun it is to visit the optometrist, whether it\u2019s their first appointment or they\u2019re long overdue. <\/span>Contact Eye to Eye Family Vision Care<\/span><\/a> to schedule your child\u2019s eye exam so we can help them get their life back into focus.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Scheduling an eye exam with a family optometrist is the only way to know for sure whether a child needs glasses. The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends children have their eyes examined at least once between the ages of three and five years old; once they start school, children should have a complete eye exam […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3584,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Signs Your Child Needs Glasses | Eye To Eye Family Vision Care","_seopress_titles_desc":"Annual eye exams are the only sure way to know if your child needs glasses. Schedule an appointment if you notice any of the following signs of vision loss.","_seopress_robots_index":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eyetoeyefamilyvisioncare.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3576"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eyetoeyefamilyvisioncare.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eyetoeyefamilyvisioncare.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eyetoeyefamilyvisioncare.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eyetoeyefamilyvisioncare.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3576"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/eyetoeyefamilyvisioncare.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3587,"href":"https:\/\/eyetoeyefamilyvisioncare.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3576\/revisions\/3587"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eyetoeyefamilyvisioncare.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eyetoeyefamilyvisioncare.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eyetoeyefamilyvisioncare.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eyetoeyefamilyvisioncare.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Your Child Needs Glasses If\u2026<\/span><\/h2>\n
They squint\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
They wink or cock their head to the side<\/span><\/h3>\n
Needing things to be \u201ctoo close\u201d to see them<\/span><\/h3>\n
Frequent headaches<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Chronic eye rubbing<\/span><\/h3>\n
Struggling at school (reading, concentrating, behavioral, etc.)<\/span><\/h3>\n
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They don\u2019t like reading\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
Support Your Child\u2019s Vision With Healthy Lifestyle Choices<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Schedule A Pediatric Eye Exam At Eye To Eye Family Vision Care<\/span><\/h2>\n