With school back in swing, it’s also a good time for your kid(s) to have their back-to-school eye exam. However, with the Coronavirus pandemic, routine appointments and check-ups have been a lot more difficult in the U.S. You don’t want to leave it until you can tell something is up with your child’s eyesight, or your child is experiencing unexpected academic struggles. Especially, if you’re like many parents in the U.S. who are now forced to home school for the first time, the last thing you’ll want to do is complicate a new and difficult experience any further. So, keep a watchful eye out for these signs that your child may need glasses.
Difficulties in School.
A quick telltale sign that your child needs glasses, is if you’ve noticed them displaying symptoms similar to ADD or ADHD. This is because they lose focus when they can’t make out what’s on the whiteboard/smartboard, or happening at the front of the classroom. Anyone would be hard-pressed to keep engaged with a lesson that looks like pure nonsense to them, so before you end up in a situation where they are misdiagnosed with ADD/ADHD, get them an eye exam first.
They’re always squinting.
If your child is squinting or trying to read with one of their eyes shut, then this is a big red flag. Squinting will often only cause more harm than good as it can lead to painful headaches and general discomfort. It’s most likely that your kid is squinting or reading with only one eye open, because they’re trying to get rid of a blurry image that’s showing up in the other eye, or their brain is trying to compensate for the lack of alignment between both. So, schedule an eye exam as soon as possible, but make sure you have health insurance. You wouldn’t want to end up in a scenario where you get your kids’ eyes checked out, only to learn that your health insurance plan didn’t cover the eye exam in the first place.
Low Reading Comprehension.
A low reading comprehension diagnosis can result from your child having to read the words on various pages repeatedly, because s/he literally can’t see what’s on the page. From there, they might become self-conscious that it takes them longer to finish reading assignments than the rest of their classmates, and sink lower and lower into a state of grim acceptance that was entirely avoidable in the first place. Again, double check that eye is covered on your health plan, and book an eye test right away.
They complain about having double vision.
You’ll want to address this particular complaint as soon as possible. If your child is complaining about double vision this could be the result of a misalignment between their eyes, and could also be putting a dangerous strain on their optic nerves. If they’re walking around the house, or into things, and rapping off complaints about seeing double, call the eye health care provider get them booked in for an eye exam!
They bring their eyes very close to their phones/TV/tablet.
There’s a chance that your child isn’t putting their phone inches from their eyeballs out of a pressing desire to completely immerse themselves in an addictive app or show. They might be having a hard time seeing what’s happening on the screen, and be doing that out of pure necessity. That’s the last thing you’ll want them to do, should they indeed need glasses. If they’re going big on the screen time and putting that screen right up against their eyes they might end up in an unpleasant scenario where they’re dealing with eye strain. That’ll only make things worse in the long run.
We’ve covered some telltale signs that your kid is in need of a fresh pair of glasses. Kids can sometimes not be the best communicators, but having these in your back pocket will help the whole family get out ahead of any vision issues your kid might be suffering through. Remember before booking an eye exam, particularly if you live in the U.S. that you have optical options as part of your health coverage, or health insurance policy. A quick phone call to your insurance company will help you determine is if is, or is part of any exclusions that you were unaware of. Either way, it is well worth the cost to protect your childrens eyesight, and include it as part of your health insurance coverage.
