“You need glasses,” the ophthalmologist said to me. I was 12 years old. My
mom was shocked since I never complained of unclear vision and no one else
in our family had poor eyesight. The reason I went to the doctor is because
I failed the eye screening exam at school. My vision became gradually
worse, so I didn’t realize it wasn’t normal.
I remember when I first wore glasses thinking to myself, “Everything seems
so clear and crisp. I can see the tips of leaves on a tree and easily read
street signs.” I thought it was normal to see the world a little bit
blurry.
August is Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month. This issue is important
to me since my vision has significantly declined from the time of my
initial diagnosis over 30 years ago. Even though I am nearsighted (which
means I can only see close up and need glasses for far away), without my
glasses or contact lens, I wouldn’t be able to read anything on a computer
screen word document (it’s just a white blur with black lines) since my
vision is so poor. I asked my eye doctor if I am considered legally blind,
but it turns out I’m not since my vision can still be corrected with
glasses.
According to the website LetsGoSee.net, one in four children has a vision
problem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that
amblyopia, or lazy eye, is the most common cause of vision loss in
children, which can be treated if caught early, between the ages of 3 to 5
years old. The website PreventBlindness.org found the most common vision
disorders in children are myopia (nearsightedness – trouble seeing far
away), hyperopia (farsightedness – trouble seeing close up) and astigmatism
(blurry vision at all distances).
The Urban Child Institute states that correcting poor vision can foster a
child’s cognitive and social development. The American Optometric
Association estimates 80 percent of a child’s learning happens through
observation. Most teaching in the classroom is done by displaying the
information. Children learn social skills from seeing facial expressions
and body language.
Similar to my experience, children may be unaware of the fact their vision
is not normal. This may lead to feeling frustrated about being unable to
see the words in a book or on the blackboard in the classroom, causing a
child to act out. The American Optometric Association states, “Some
children with learning difficulties exhibit specific behaviors of
hyperactivity and distractibility. These children are often labeled as
having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, undetected
and untreated vision problems can elicit some of the very same signs and
symptoms commonly attributed to ADHD. Due to these similarities, some
children may be mislabeled as having ADHD when, in fact, they have an
undetected vision problem.”
Optometrystudents.com
lists the following as signs that may indicate your
child could have a vision problem:
-
Head Tilt: If your child has a problem with his ocular
muscles or nerves he will attempt to compensate by tilting his head. -
Sitting Too Close to the TV: If your child is
nearsighted, he will attempt to compensate by moving closer to the TV or
reading materials. -
Avoidance of Reading: If your child has poor visual
skills and eye teaming skills, he will compensate by avoiding reading.
Reading uses many complex eye movements and poor visual skills may cause
your child to become frustrated easily. -
. Frequent Headaches: You child may have headaches
because he is overstrained using all of his energy to align, focus and use
his eyes. -
Laterality Problem: If your child has poor directional
skills and often confuses left and right, it could be due to poor vision.
Proper oculocentric location is dependent on vision and laterality depends,
in part, upon oculocentric location. -
Finger Pointing: If your child has poor vision tracking
skills, he may use his finger to compensate for poor tracking ability. -
Can’t Copy from the Board: Your child may have
difficulty with accommodation, the ability to change focus between far and
near. This is essential for success in school. -
Poor Hand/Eye Coordination: This skill is required for
everything from writing notes in class to playing ball with friends. Clear
vision and adequate visual skills are required to create an accurate link
between vision and other body movements. -
Eye Rubbing / Squinting Rubbing: This is a basic
response to ocular discomfort. It typically occurs when eyes are strained
or have been working much too hard to complete a task. Squinting is used to
narrow a bundle of light entering the eye which allows for sharper vision.
Your child may be squinting because this act compensates for blurry vision.
If your child is experiencing one of these symptoms, schedule an eye exam
with an eye doctor. There are two different types of eye doctors –
ophthalmologists and optometrists. An ophthalmologist went to medical
school and a 1-year internship followed by a 3-year residency. This type of
doctor can provide total eye care services. An optometrist did not attend
medical school. Instead, optometrists went to a 4-year professional program
and received a doctor of optometry degree. The main focus of optometrists
is to prescribe glasses and contact lenses. Due to my poor vision and the
fact I have had other vision issues, I go to an ophthalmologist every two
years for a checkup and to receive updated prescriptions for my glasses and
contacts.
Even though my mother didn’t think I would need glasses when I was 12 years
old, she took me to see the eye doctor. I’m grateful she did.
