Kids’ Vision: What You Need To Know

As a parent, you want to kiss your kid’s boo boos and take them to the doctor when they have a fever. But what about their eyes? How do you know when they have an issue? It can be hard to tell, especially with very young children. Dr. Holly Andersen and Dr. Megan Baureis of Uptown Eyes in Fayetteville, AR, took the time to explain to us what your child should expect on their first visit and what to look for in their behavior that might necessitate a trip to the eye doctor earlier than planned. Take a look at the video and show your kids if they’re apprehensive about what to expect. This might calm their nerves!

As you heard, it’s a good idea to have your child’s vision checked before he or she starts school – earlier if you see the signs they were talking about. If you think they might have allergies, send them in as well. They will be able to tell you if the eye irritation is, in fact, an allergy or something else. Some of the signs of eye problems might be:

• constant eye rubbing
• extreme light sensitivity
• poor focusing
• poor visual tracking (following an object)
• abnormal alignment or movement of the eyes (after 6 months of age)
• chronic redness of the eyes
• chronic tearing of the eyes
• being unable to see objects at a distance
• having trouble reading the blackboard
• squinting
• difficulty reading
• sitting too close to the TV

FYI: If you (or your child) is worried about reading the letters on an eye chart, never fear. There are eye charts available with pictures for people who aren’t able to read letters.

A trip to the eye doctor can be something your child looks forward to…they may get to see a pic of the inside of their eye! That’s always cool, right? Your child’s picture will look something like this:

Other Eye Issues:

Dry, Irritated Eyes

What can you do for dry, irritated eyes? Sometimes simply turning off your fan or running a humidifier will help. There are a ton of other suggestions in this article.

 Tired Eyes

Looking at screens all day can lead to eye fatigue and headaches. You can add ‘computer lenses’ to your prescription. Read all about them here.

Proper Eyeglass Frame Fit

There are a lot of variable to consider when picking out glasses for yourself or your little one. Of course, you want to look good, but frames that don’t really fit you right won’t do you any good. Check out this article for tips on how to ensure you get the right fit.

We hope that you found this helpful! Contact your local eye doctor to get your kids checked out today!