Signs That There Is Something Wrong With Your Child's Eyesight

Protecting your child's eyesight is easier to accomplish when you know how to identify a problem. By keeping track of your child's development and any minor issues, you have a better chance of correcting most eyesight issues in a timely and effective manner.

Lazy Eye

One outward sign that there is something going on with your child's eyesight is one or both eyes do not look right. With some children, one eye wanders, which makes it seem like your child has one eye looking in the wrong direction all of the time. This condition is known as amblyopia or lazy eye.

In some cases, the pathway between the eye and brain are not working properly. If this happens, the brain will stop communicating with that eye properly, which leads to poor vision in that eye and it is usually the cause for the wandering eye.

If left untreated, the vision for that eye will continue to weaken. Luckily, there are ways of correcting some of the vision issues, which can include wearing an eye patch or needing a pair of glasses to help strengthen and support the weaker eye.

Poor Hand-Eye Coordination

Another issue you may notice is poor hand-eye coordination. As your child gets older, their hand-eye coordination should improve. However, when children have trouble seeing, their coordination may actually get worse or stop developing properly until the vision issue is corrected.

For example, farsighted children have a problem seeing the food or toys right in front of them. You may notice your child struggling to pick up a snack and eat it, which can let you know that your child may not be able to see items that are close to them.

Nearsighted children on the other hand, can have issues with target-based games such as basketball. With these games or tasks, they cannot see the target clearly, so they will have bad aim and they may miss the target each time.

Poor hand-eye coordination affects most children when their eyesight worsens, no matter what age they are. In many cases, this is the first indicator that they need to see an optometrist. The optometrist will evaluate your child's vision and determine if glasses are needed. One benefit is that if your child needs glasses, their hand-eye coordination should improve in a timely manner, since they will be able to see correctly.

By understanding a few signs that highlight poor vision, you can help maintain your child's eyesight. If you notice a problem, then it is imperative that you visit an optometrist in your area as soon as possible.