Children's Vision

• Why should I have my child's eyes examined?
• What are the signs of vision problems?
• At what age should I have my child's eyes examined?
• Your child will be more comfortable reading if you:

It is sometimes assumed that a baby cannot see at birth and is not able to focus properly until a few months old. In fact even though their eyes are not fully developed at birth and seem uncoordinated for the first few weeks, most babies are born longsighted. Vision does need to be stimulated in order to develop normally.

Why should I have my child's eyes examined?

Vision plays a very important part in learning. Reading, spelling, writing, blackboard work and computing are among the things children do at school every day. All of these require clear, comfortable vision if information is to be easily understood.

Clear eyesight is not all that is needed for efficient vision. Children must develop scanning, focusing and eye movement skills in order to be able to read comfortably. Eyes must focus quickly from distant to near objects and back again, and accurately follow moving targets. Eyes must scan instantly from one word to the next when reading, while keeping in perfect alignment. Without two well balanced eyes and good vision, judgment of distance is impaired. In fact 80% of all our sensory input comes from vision, children require good coordination between vision and body movement to perform well at sports.

Recent surveys suggest that more than 10% of New Zealand primary school children have vision problems. If their vision has always been poor young children may not complain that the blackboard is blurry because they may not realise that others see more clearly. Simple tests to check distance vision will not show up the types of near vision problems which may make reading difficult. 75% of all primary school study requires some reading ability, while in secondary school this proportion is even higher.

Obviously vision problems may contribute to learning difficulties.

What are the signs of vision problems?

A number of things might suggest that your child has vision problems. These will not necessarily mean there is a problem with vision but do take notice if your child:

• Complains of not seeing clearly
• Copies incorrectly from the board
• Holds books very close
• Avoids near work as much as possible
• Tries to do homework but with poor understanding
• Covers or closes one eye when reading or writing
• Has a short attention span
• Complains of headaches, discomfort or tiredness

At what age should I have my child's eyes examined?

If you have any doubt at all about your child's vision have their eyes examined even if they have not started school. This is particularly important if there are vision problems in the family, if one eye seems to turn in or out, or if your child seems to be having trouble learning to read.

If a child is to end up with good vision some vision defects must be corrected as early as possible while the visual system is still developing. In some cases the child may not have to wear spectacles all the time and may not necessarily need them as an adult.

Your child will be more comfortable reading if you:

Discourage them from holding reading or writing too close - 30cms is close enough

• Make sure lighting on homework and books is good
• Discourage your child from slouching over the table or desk, or reading while lying on the floor. This brings the work too close to the eyes for comfort
• Encourage regular breaks from concentrated reading. Occasional relaxation will reduce fatigue
• Watching TV or using a computer will not cause vision problems but for best comfort make sure your children are not sitting or lying too close to the TV or computer.

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