Children’s visual systems also continue to develop during the first seven to eight years of life.

children’s eyes healthy

Along with rapidly developing physical and mental systems, children’s visual systems also continue to develop during the first seven to eight years of life. Sometimes, children may not be able to see clearly and may require assistance for normal visual development.

But children may not even realize that they are unable to see correctly, so how would they communicate this to their parents? Undetected vision problems can impact a child’s performance in class and that’s why it is so important for parents to recognize signs that your child may need to visit a pediatric eye specialist.

Here’s a quick checklist to see if your child may need glasses:

• Sitting very close to the screen?

Children with myopia sit closer to the TV to get a better view or even hold books closer to their eyes to read easily. They have clear vision at close range and poorer vision at a distance, making objects bigger and clearer when nearby.

• Squinting or tilting their head?

Your child may cover one eye, squint, or tilt their head to help increase visual clarity. This could also be a sign of lazy eye (amblyopia), where one eye fails to achieve normal visual acuity.

• Excessively rubbing their eyes?

This could indicate that their eyes are experiencing fatigue or strain which makes it difficult for school-aged children to grow along with the new skills and activities they begin to learn.

• Using their finger to read?

While younger children use their fingers to read, older children continuing to trace the words on the page or even losing their place while reading may be due to their underlying vision problems.

Unfortunately, the risk of myopia also increases by having myopic parents. Children with one myopic parent are 1.5x more likely to develop myopia, while both parents being myopic can triple the likelihood of the child developing the condition.

Visiting a pediatric ophthalmologist is highly recommended for all children. Meet Dr. Walid at Orbit Eye Center, the leading eye clinic in Dubai Healthcare City for a vision checkup.

Contact Information

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Dubai, UAE

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