- 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 ?
Now that you are able to differenciate eyesight disorders, match each visual with the right eysesight disorder !
At the age of 6, one child out of three has ametropia. This word refers to well-known disorders such as long-sightedness, astigmatism and short-sightedness. They can affect one eye or both of them. These disorders are easily corrected ! Besides, some can disappear as we get older, such as long-sightedness.
- Long-sightedness : 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.
- Short-sightedness : 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.
- Astigmatism : The curvature of the cornea is very irregular. Instead of being round, 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 ?
In the first few weeks, they do not look at light or they even avoid it.
At one month old, they never stare at you.
At 4 months old they do not smile to familiar faces and do not react to their bottle, or do not play with their hands.
After 4 months old they do not grasp objects to put them to their mouth, do not hold out their hand to a toy shown to them, or do not distinguish familiar faces from unknown ones.
At around 9 months old they do not handle their toys, their look does not meet yours, they do not bend down to pick up a toy or they do not react to sudden movements.
At around 15 months old they do not walk (which can mean that they do not see well and therefore do not dare to try), they are very awkward (they may not see objects clearly).
From 18 months old onwards they do not point to what they want, they often bump into furniture when they want to walk.
At the age of 2 and a half they rub their eyes or wrinkle to see better (these are possible signs of astigmatism or short-sightedness).
Signs of visual fatigue :
- Their eyes are red or sting,
- They frown,
- They complain they have headaches or feel tired after school.
Bad posture :
- They sit too close to the computer or television screen,
- They draw or write bent over their book,
- They work with one eye shut.
Learning difficulties :
- When they read they mix some letters,
- Stumble on words or lose the line,
- They do not like to read for too long,
- They find it difficult to remember what they read or to concentrate on their work,
- They mix red and green…