8 Signs Your Child Must Visit The Ophthalmologist

8 Signs Your Child Must Visit The Ophthalmologist

To ensure a hassle free school year comprehensive eye exams should be part of every parent’s back to school preparation for their child.

Here are some easy to spot signs that your child inevitably needs an eye check up!

1. Turning in or out of the eyes or involuntary eye movements:

 

Some of the physical symptoms that can be related to vision problems are: Squint (Strabismus), swollen, red or tearing eyes and involuntary eye movements. If any of these signs appear it’s very important to do a full eye checkup.

 
2. Excessive Eye Rubbing: 

Seeing a child rubbing their eyes makes us think they are tired and need a nap, but if they rub their eyes while performing a task such as reading or focusing on something in particular, then it can have a different meaning. To rub their eyes could be a sign their eyes can’t focus properly and they suffer from poor vision

3. Problems at School:
According to the article “Learning-Related Vision Problems” written by the Discovery Eye Foundation, about 80% of what children learn is through their vision, having this in mind if they can’t see properly at school most probably they will not be able to excel and will have a disadvantage in comparison to the other classmates who do not have a vision problem. On the other hand, not having good vision will make children frustrated and limit their concentration span.


4. Recurrent Headaches:
 Headaches can be caused by many different factors such as dehydration, fatigue, stress, and not enough sleep but it can also mean that the child has poor vision. If you notice one of your kids getting recurrent headaches it’s time to take them to their annual checkup with the Pediatric Ophthalmologist

 



5. Sitting too close to the TV or holding a book to close:  
 
It’s important to detect behavioral changes on our kids. For example, if your child is now sitting too close to the TV, or while reading a book they hold it very close to their face this could mean there is a vision problem and they might be nearsighted. In this case, eye glasses should be prescribed by the

Ophthalmologist after a series of exams 




6. Loosing place when reading:

Kids learn how to read by pointing at the words, but when they become better at reading this habit stops and they can focus on the words without using their fingers to track where they are reading. If after some time they have trouble reading without pointing he/she might have a vision problem 

7. Abnormal head posture or reading with one eye shut:

If your child tries to read with one eye shut or tilting their head in an unusual way then it’s a sign they have poor vision and their eyes can’t focus properly

 8. Family history of Keratoconus or any eye problem:

Keratoconus is a common corneal problem in Oman. For this reason, increased awareness for Keratoconus among children is needed. Among the risk factors that parents should consider are family history of Keratoconus, history of eye allergy or chronic rubbing of the eye, poor vision, and children wearing high corrective glasses. Furthermore, this corneal condition is also common in children with Down syndrome.

 

Thus, if you have a child with this genetic anomaly it is advisable to have a through corneal screening.

 

Remember it is recommended for healthy children to have regular annual checkups with the Ophthalmologist

 

To book an appointment with one our Pediatric Ophthalmologists please call +968 24691414 or book your online appointment at www.muscateye.com

MOH: 1022/2018