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Positive Parenting
By Dr Suraiya Mohd Shafie
MALAYSIA: VISION problems affect one in four school-age children. Without good vision, a child's learning ability is compromised as it becomes harder to see, learn and understand.
Untreated eye problems can worsen and lead to other serious problems, affecting personality and adjustment to a child's surroundings. Bear in mind too that when children have vision problems, they accept it as normal because they simply don't know better. null
Signs that a child may have vision problems include:
-Constant eye rubbing
-Extreme light sensitivity
-Poor focusing
-Poor visual tracking (following an object)
-Abnormal alignment or movement of the eyes (after six months of age)
-Chronic redness of the eyes
-Inability to see objects at a distance
-Difficulty reading
-Abnormal head posture when looking at objects
Common vision problems
Vision problems normally fall into two categories - those that can be detected immediately and those that take more medical consultation hours to determine. Here are some common ones.
Vision problems detected immediately
These are problems that are obvious and apparent to all. Whether it is blindness or a case of misaligned eyes, such vision problems can be determined on the spot.
1. Brain and eye injury
What is it
After brain or eye injury, there can be changes to the way a child sees.
Does your child have it
Your child is complaining about double vision, squinting excessively or bumping into things more regularly than before following an injury. He also seems to have a problem with the field of vision, the position of the eye, and how the eye moves.
What to do
Speak to your doctor immediately.
2. Blindness
What is it
More than 20 babies are born each day into certain blindness.
Does your child have it
Symptoms include babies do not appear to have eye contact with parents, not looking at objects or toys, not following objects, whitish reflex in the centre of the eye, deterioration in school performance, difficulty in recognising people, bumping into objects, finding lights to be too bright or too dim, squinting, abnormal movements of the eye.
What to do
If you suspect your child is losing his or her sight, seek medical advice immediately.
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