Does Your Little One Need Children’s Glasses? 5 Signs It’s Time

Did you know that 25.3% of kids between 2 and 17 years old wore glasses or contact lenses in 2019? Are you wondering “does my child need glasses” and aren’t certain how you can tell for sure?

Since you can’t see through the eyes of your child, it’s hard to know exactly when children’s glasses are necessary! You may not know when to have your child’s eyes tested or when it’s time to go to a specialist either.

This is why you need to look for some of the signs that your child may exhibit that means they are having trouble seeing, even if they don’t tell you that their vision is a problem.

Keep reading to learn about the main signs that your child may need glasses.

1. Sitting Too Close

A clear sign that seeing things that are farther away is difficult for your child is if they choose to sit extremely close so that they can see. You may see them sitting right in front of the TV, for instance, or holding a device right up to their eyes.

People that have nearsightedness, also called myopia, have good vision up close and bad vision at a distance. Your child may be dealing with this if they have to bring an object closer to their face to make it clear.

You can learn about myopia control to get more information on the condition.

2. Squinting

When someone can’t focus on an image easily, they squint to make the object in focus. Squinting can temporarily help your child see the clarity of an object or image, but it is not a long-term solution.

Doing this too much will cause headaches, eye pain, blurred vision, and other issues. If you’re wondering when to get children’s eyes tested if you notice squinting, it’s definitely something to bring up at their next pediatrician appointment if you don’t notice any of the other signs here.

3. Headaches and Eye Strain

Speaking of headaches and eye pain, if your child is complaining of these things often, it may be because they are overexerting their eyes.

Our brains try to make up for bad vision by increasing our focus, but if this happens all day every day, it can lead to seriously tired eyes.

4. Tilting or Covering an Eye

For some children and adults, only one eye has poor vision. In this case, you may find that your child is covering up an eye or tilting their head so that one eye is able to concentrate.

This can be a result of amblyopia, which is one of the more common eye disorders in children, as well.

5. Not Concentrating

Your child may be struggling with school work or with focusing in class, and it may be a direct result of not being able to see well. Children have to be quick to adapt visual focus when learning, so if they can’t see what is going on, they are going to fall behind.

Regardless of the age of your child, being able to see chalkboards, computers, textbooks, and anything else that they need for school is crucial, so talk with a doctor right away if you notice your child struggling.

Is It Time for Children’s Glasses?

While your child may not be able to tell you if it’s time for glasses, you’ll know based on the way that they act and behave toward different objects. Pay attention to your child to see if children’s glasses are required so that they can get the support they need to learn and grow!

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