Although children are usually given vision screenings before school, they are designed to catch obvious vision problems and frequently miss more subtle issues. In fact, it is estimated that these screenings miss as many as 60% of children with vision problems. Over time, these can grow into much more significant issues and even cause difficulty in school for otherwise bright students. Especially in young children, it may be hard for them to vocalize a problem with their vision. In many cases, vision changes so gradually, your child may not even be aware that’s what is bothering them.
At Hudson Optical, we believe that early detection is crucial to your child’s comfort and ability to succeed. Beginning as early as infancy, you should have your child’s vision evaluated. Although at this stage it will be a while before your little one is reading, coloring, and riding a bike, our optometrists can detect conditions like nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, or even cancer. As your child ages, and nears school-age, it becomes increasingly important to have their eyes checked regularly, especially if they are experiencing any of the following signs or symptoms:
- Headaches
- Squinting
- Sensitivity to light
- Frequent eye-rubbing
- Tilting the head to one side
- Difficulty concentrating
- Avoidance of reading and/or school work
- Taking longer than usual to complete homework
- Poor grades
- Poor reading comprehension
- Failing paper exams, but able to verbalize answers
- Covering one eye while reading
- Rereading or skipping lines while reading
- Misinterpreting similar letters, like “b” and “d,” while reading
- Poor reading/writing/spelling ability
- Behavior problems
- Abnormal mood swings
- Poor hand-eye coordination
- Lack of interest in sports, riding a bike, and tying shoes
- Lack of interest in coloring, puzzles, and other detail-oriented activities
With the new at home learning taking place and children being on their computer, laptops, ipads, and cell phones, now more then ever children are being diagnosed with new and unique vision problems. If your child hasn’t had an eye-health examination or it’s been more then one year since their last exam, contact us TODAY to schedule
If you have questions about vision therapy for children, complete vision exams, or to schedule an appointment, please call our office at (715) 386-8401 (call or text) today.