Have you noticed your child sitting very close to the television? 

 

Are they holding their books very close to their eyes or leaning over the book until they are right up on top of it?  Parents are usually the first to notice their child is not seeing as well as they should.  Teachers are the second line of defense.  They may see that a child can’t read the board from a distance.  Then again, in this time of crowded classrooms, the only thing that could give a parent a clue might be the poor grades coming home.  Could the answer to poor grades be that simple?  Yes! 

Amblyopia is being nearsighted in one eye and farsighted in the other; a serious condition.  Between 2 and 4 percent of all children are affected by this condition in which one eye is weaker than the other.  To correct it, children must be diagnosed at a young age.  “If not treated, the condition becomes irreversible and can result in permanent vision loss. 

I was one of those children and have since been told by my Opthamologist, had my parents not had me diagnosed, eye-patched and given glasses with eye exercises, I would have lost the vision in the weak eye.  I remember my mother bribing me with “you’ll have jewels all over your eye patch when you wear it” which was at home.  I didn’t get the jewels for my eyes then, but they came later. 

Indicators of Eye Problems in Your Child

Mention eye problems you are concerned about to the Pediatrician during a well-child visit.  Other indicators of eye problemsinclude

• frequent eye rubbing,
• extreme light sensitivity,
• poor focusing and visual tracking,
• excessive tearing ,
• eyes that look mismatched,
• crossed or don’t move together,
• pupils that are not the same size or that are while instead of black. 

Be aware of your child’s eyes and if you have any questions, ask your Pediatrician.  They may refer you to an Optometrist or an Opthamologist. 

Compliment Them About How They Look in Those New Glasses

From a personal perspective, if you child needs glasses, tell them they look beautiful with their glasses.  I’ve been in glasses since the first grade.  Yes, that geeky looking little girl in the picture is me….cat eye shaped glasses with jewels on the corners.  They were a marbleized blue.  Yeh, if I was going to have glasses, I needed ‘bling’ on them!  I just thank God that my parents noticed, cared and got me the help I needed!

Do your children wear sunglasses?  How about protective eyewear in sports?  Leave me your thoughts on these.