It’s hard to picture a child, especially a young one, needing glasses when there are so many adults out there with 20/20 vision. Worse yet, if they don’t speak up and talk about how much they are struggling to see, it can only lead to worsening vision. Don’t let your child miss notes written on the whiteboard because of bad vision!

The first and foremost way to check how your child’s vision is doing is by simply asking. However, not all children will understand the difference between blurry and clear vision, especially if they have never known differently. Regular eye exams will help make sure your child’s vision is 20/20!

Non-verbal ways of figuring out if your child is silently suffering through poor vision can come in the form of:

• Constant squinting: You may notice your child squinting to try and manually improve what they are looking at.
• Sitting too close to screens: Does the couch seem just too far away? You may notice your child sitting with their nose pressed up against the television in order to see it properly.
• Rubbing their eyes: Your child may play with their eyes, either to try and wipe moisture from them constantly or because they hurt. This could lead to other bacterial issues with the eyes if not caught early.
• Migraines, headaches, and eye pain: We all know that awful feeling when our headaches seem to focus right behind an eye. These symptoms can lead to irritation and fatigue.
• Difficulty concentrating: When what you’re looking at isn’t clear, it can be hard to stay focused. This can be an extremely frustrating and demotivating experience if left unattended to.

Eye exams are a simple, painless, and quick process. Reassure your child that they have absolutely nothing to worry about. In most cases, they will only be expected to read numbers and letters off of a wall, follow the optometrist’s finger, and briefly have a light shined on their eyes. An easy process, and one that will help them see the world in a whole new light!
Did you know that a majority of the U.S. population wears glasses? Lake Forrest Prep, a private school in Orlando wishes to keep your eyes open to topics you might want to know about. Check out our blog for more!