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Monitor your eyesight
The fact of seeing well or poorly is a very subjective question for the little ones. If vision disorders can therefore easily go unnoticed, we must not neglect the consequences on school learning and, more broadly, on the development and safety of your little one on a daily basis. However, there is a rule when it comes to sight problems: the earlier they are detected, the better they can be treated.
4 screenings at least before 6 years old
— Three exams, provided for in the health record, have in principle already been carried out: at the end of the maternity ward, at 9 months and then at two years.
— A thorough review School medical examinations are also on the program, the first being scheduled around the age of 6, when entering elementary school.
When a visual disturbance is suspected during these visits, the school doctor invites parents to consult a specialist. This advice should not be taken lightly, even if your child assures you that they are seeing correctly.
Apart from these occasional visits, it is also the role of the general practitioner to monitor your child’s eyesight. Finally, an annual visit to the ophthalmologist is recommended, especially if there is a history of visual disturbances in the family.
Did you know? It is only around the age of 5 that a child’s eyes achieve the shape and structure of an adult eye. Then it is around 10-12 years that he reaches full maturity, ie his maximum in terms of visual acuity and vision in relief. |
Constant vigilance on the part of parents
It is by remaining attentive to your child’s behavior and reacting immediately that you will be able to detect and induce early management of any visual deficits.
The signs that should alert you:
– Repeated clumsy gestures (poor coordination, your child often bumps or falls…).
– He complains of headaches and / or neck pain after a day of school.
– His eyes seem irritated, watery.
– He often blinks, frowns.
– Your child has his nose glued to his notebook when he draws, reads or writes.
– He has difficulty reading (skipped lines, confusion between letters, etc.).
– He’s very sensitive to bright lights.
Computer and television blamed?
Screens don’t cause visual problems, but they often help reveal them! However, it is important to respect a minimum distance – one meter for television and at least 40 cm for a computer – and, of course, to limit the number of hours spent in front of the screen.
The main vision disorders in children
Myopia:
– Good near vision, bad at a distance.
– It often appears in adolescence, sometimes from birth for babies whose parents are nearsighted themselves.
Hyperopia:
– Poor near vision, good at normal distance.
– All newborns are hyperopic. Normally, the disorder resolves between 6 and 10 years.
Astigmatie:
Due to a defect in the curvature of the cornea, the child, for example, sees vertical lines better than horizontal.
Strabismus:
Deviation of one eye from the other. Common in toddlers, this disorder should be corrected if it persists after 4 months.
Amblyopie :
– Predominance of one eye over the other.
– It is often the direct consequence of one of the aforementioned disorders: the “healthy” eye works, the other is left out.