Some children spend their childhood with vision or hearing problems and never know it until they “happen” to be detected in adolescence or adulthood. Today we come to explain some tips to detect if our little one has vision problems. There is no reason to get upset, it is not serious, perhaps it is just a few diopters or some common disorder such as hyperopia or astigmatism, which are quite common problems in humans.
Detecting our children’s vision problems early will improve their quality of life, not only in their first years of life, but also in adolescence and adulthood. Vision and hearing problems are the main barriers to school failure, apart from other agents such as lack of attention, motivation, whether or not there is bullying, etc.
Vision problems that are not solved in time, get worse over the months and years. By this we mean, for example, that if today our son has 2 diopters in his right eye, in a few years it could double, or cause some kind of disorder, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, or other adverse effects. of not having healthy vision.
There are many solutions to a problem as common as vision problems. There are more serious and milder ones, but surely in the case of our son we will find a solution. Of course, the special glasses for children and babies are usually somewhat expensive, so we will take this into account as well. But everything is for the health of our son.
Aspects to consider
If we see that our son or daughter does everything or almost everything that we indicate below, it could be because they suffer from vision problems in one or two eyes. It could also be the case that he was following the hobbies or customs of other people around him and who do have vision problems, and the child is repeating, for example, saying that he sees poorly in the distance or getting too close to the paper.
Here, only a specialist could determine reality with a series of tests on your eyes. The younger the child, the more annoying these tests will be, but you have to be patient and make the process fun and enjoyable.
Let’s keep in mind something very important, a child is not aware of whether he sees well or badly because he has not been able to create real comparisons in his life experience. For him it may be normal to see cloudy, for the letters to dance, to see flashes of light, for the light from the window to bother him, for him to have headaches, etc.
Depending on the age of the child, he may or may not communicate and make us see that something is not quite right. Even so, here are some symptoms that our little one could suffer from vision problems:
- If you narrow your eyes.
- If you rub your eyes a lot.
- If you have trouble focusing on a lens.
- Red eyes.
- Light sensitivity.
- Can’t follow moving objects well.
- If you alternate the winks you lose, you do not aim well at the target.
- It is very close to the paper.
- It is difficult for him to read.
- Does not identify each letter or number well.
- Does not distinguish concrete figures at a certain distance.
- Trouble identifying colors.
- You have trouble typing fast or reading fast.
As a general rule, in pediatrician reviews, these types of cases are caught on time, and even in the first years of school, if we are lucky enough that our son or daughter falls into the hands of a teacher who is aware of his student body.
In any case, to anticipate the situation, we can do sporadic reviews, or even, when our son or daughter learns to identify the letters, we can do specific tests at home.
For example, let him read a cardboard and for each letter we move one meter away; we can also make him close one eye and try to put a string in a small hoop (an earring); another option would be to practice shooting games; tell us the colors of the shirts; we could also play with objects at a certain speed such as balls or remote control cars.
To do
It is best to carry out regular check-ups from the moment we notice the first symptom, regardless of whether our child is 1 or 5 years old. Vision problems can occur from birth, or at almost any time, and even due to poor sleeping positions or blows to the eye or blows to the head.
Yes, the fact of always sleeping on the same side (or wearing bangs to one side), can cause the optic nerve of the eye that we cover to not develop properly and cause vision problems in our child.
The best thing we can do is go to a specialist and he will be the one to determine what problems our child has and what the best solution is. When they are under 15 years old, the best thing is glasses with plastic frames and string so that they do not fall or get lost.
When they are in their teens, wearing glasses may not be the most tasteful silver, so if the eye doctor recommends it, they could try the option of contact lenses. But here comes the assessment of the specialist and if our son is mature and responsible enough to wear contact lenses. It is also important to see how the eye reacts, as it could react badly by becoming red or causing discomfort and pain.
If we see that the lenses do not adapt well, the best thing is a pair of glasses with metal frames, but if we see that our son is a bit of a mess, we can continue with the plastic frame. In addition, with regard to crystals there are all kinds of options, it is best to go directly to something that resists falls, bumps and scratches.
When the child is of legal age, some type of surgery could be considered, but always in a clinic with a certain reputation where they study the case well in a personalized way and openly show us the pros and cons of surgery. Today, with luck, almost any vision problem can be fixed, but it depends on the severity of each case, among other factors.
