If your child has been rubbing his eyes a lot or blinking more than usual, it might be time to visit the eye doctor.
Those seemingly benign behaviors actually could mean your child has an eye problem. In fact, said Dr. Christina Kreinest, an optometrist with Metzger Eye Care in Covington, studies show that one in four school-aged children have some type of undiagnosed eye problem that could interfere with learning.
“Not all eye problems are obvious in children,” Kreinest said. “For most children, even if things are blurry, how they see the world is normal for them. I wish people knew that even if their child doesn’t have any eye or vision complaints, there could still be a potential problem that won’t be diagnosed until the child has an eye exam.”
How to spot an eye problem
Typical symptoms of an eye problem in a child include avoiding or not liking to read, favoring one eye when viewing an object, difficulty copying the blackboard at school, lots of blinking or eye rubbing, an eye that turns in or out, and difficulty fixating on an object.
The age that symptoms arise is different for every child depending on the severity of the problem, Kreinest said. Many problems are noted before kindergarten, or even a few months after birth.
Here are five of the most common eye problems in children:
- The need for glasses
Children can either have hyperopia (farsightedness), myopia (nearsightedness) or astigmatism. Uncorrected prescriptions can lead to strabismus (eye turn) and amblyopia (one eye that sees better than the other).
- Strabismus (eye turn)
This is the most concerning eye problem Kreinest sees in her practice. It’s when a child’s eyes don’t line up together. One eye will turn in or turn out, which can cause double vision. Also, if the eye stays turned, the brain will start to ignore the images from that eye, resulting in decreased vision.
Potential causes of strabismus are a hereditary link, uncorrected hyperopia (farsightedness), and neurological or anatomical problems with the six eye muscles that control eye movement.
- Amblyopia (one eye that sees better than the other)
If there is a two-line difference between the eyes when a child reads an eye chart, it’s called amblyopia, which means, simply, that one eye is seeing better than the other. It can occur when the eyes are not properly aligned (strabismus) or if one eye is stronger than the other.
If it’s not corrected with spectacles or a patch, amblyopia can cause the brain to ignore one eye and lead to decreased vision.
“Most of the time we do not walk around covering and uncovering one eye, so amblyopia can be difficult for the parent to notice because the child likely sees great with both eyes opened,” Kreinest said.
- Corneal abrasions or scratches due to sports play
- Conjunctivitis (“pink eye”)
There are many causes of the well-known conjunctivitis, including bacteria, viruses or allergies. Only cases that are bacterial in nature benefit from antibiotics. Symptoms can include one or both eyes that are red, watery and itchy, are sensitive to light, and have discharge.
The American Optometric Association recommends eye exams for children at six months, three years, five years and then every year or every other year after that depending on whether an eye problem is detected.
If you suspect your child has an eye problem, make an appointment with your pediatrician or an eye doctor. A pediatrician can refer your child to an ophthalmologist or optometrist for an evaluation.
