“How Do I Know My Child Needs Glasses”

Young children usually cannot understand or complain that they cannot see clearly. If this problem is not diagnosed early and correcting glasses are not given timely, a child starts neglecting his work at school, his writing becomes bad and his performance in class drops. Gross near-sightedness reduces a child’s horizon as he can see clearly only up till a meter or a two meter distance hence he starts losing interest in outdoor activities which demand a good distant vision; he becomes more inclined towards indoor activities and becomes a loner.
As a parent, we can diagnose that the child needs glasses by keeping a look out for the following symptoms:
1) Frequent blinking or rubbing the eyes.
2) Squeezing both eyes to see at a distance object.
3) Closing one eye while a photograph is being taken or outdoors.
4) Watching T.V standing close to it.
5) Worsening of hand writing and performance at school.
6) Squinting of one eye while reading or looking at a distance.
7) Watering of eyes while watching T.V or outdoors.
If you notice any of these symptoms, please see a pediatric ophthalmologist who is especially trained to recognize this problem and rectify it. Longstanding neglect of a child’s poor vision results in a “lazy eye” which is difficult to treat.