Do you wear glasses ? These are used to correct your eyesight disorder(s). There are three kinds of them. - If you can see distant objects clearly but have difficulty seeing objects that are near, you are long-sighted.
- If you can see close objects clearly but have difficulty seeing objects that are far, you are short-sighted.
- If you cannot see clearly far or near objects (for example you mix letters), you are astigmatic.
You do not wear glasses but you have difficulty seeing what is written on the board or in your copybooks ?
You sometimes suffer from headaches after school ? Tell your parents. You might need glasses.
Now that you are able to differenciate eyesight disorders, match each visual with the right eysesight disorder !
Visual disorders : definition and correction
- Long-sightedness :
What is it ?
The child can see distant objects clearly but has difficulty seeing objects that are near.
The eye is too short : the image which is received gets impressed behind the retina and not on it. The eye needs to compensate by permanent accommodation which tires it.
What are the warning signs ?
Because your child looks closely at what is near, of this continuous effort, they get tired and can have headaches and eyeaches. Do not worry while they are still young : all children are born long-sighted. This disorder usually diasppears between the ages of 6 and 10 when it is not too strong. In any case, it must be corrected all the same, for the child’s comfort and good development.
What should be done ?
Glasses should be worn in order to avoid strabismus. Convergent lenses shall bring the image back to the retina. In a young child only significant long-sightedness justifies such a prescription. As they get older, it may correct itself.
- Short-sightedness :
What is it ?
The child can see close objects clearly but has difficulty seeing objects that are far.
The eye is too long : the image which is received gets impressed in front of the retina and not on it. The distance between the retina and the cornea is too big and the eyes cannot focus on distant objects. In some cases, short-sightedness is called evolutive : it appears in childhood and develops quickly until adulthood. It is then necessary to consult an optometrist every 6 months.
What are the warning signs ?
Your child draws or writes with their head bent over their book or else they complain that everything far away is blurred. Generally speaking, short-sightedness appears during adolescence. Yet there is a considerable risk of short-sightedness for a baby whose parents are short-sighted. Besides, there has been an increase in children’s short-sightedness all over the world these past few years, especially in Asia where this disorder can concern up to 80 % of children depending on the country. This "short-sightedness-ation" could be attributed to work and leisure becoming more intense as far as vision at near is concerned.
Strong short-sightedness is not without consequences upon a child’s future : it can prove essential in the choice of vocational education and in extreme cases cause retinal detachment leading to blindness.
It is thus important to adopt good visual practices as early as possible (see ergonomics advice) and to encourage children to play outdoors.
What should be done ?
Adapted glasses should be worn. Divergent lenses help the image get back onto the retina.
- Astigmatism :
What is it ?
The child cannot see far or near objects clearly.
The curvature of the cornea is very irregular. Instead of being spherical, it is oval, like a rugby ball ! In some rarer cases astigmatism is due to a fault in the crystalline lens. In both cases the objects appear distorted.
What are the warning signs ?
When your child looks at their book or the board, they mix letters which are similar such as H or M, U or V.
What should be done ?
Adapted glasses should be worn. Cylindrical lenses shall compensate the faulty curvature of the cornea. In a young child only significant astigmatism justifies such a prescription.
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