What can I do myself? | Recognizing visual impairment in children – can my child see correctly?

What can I do myself?

It is important to have your eyes checked at an early stage if there is a suspicion of poor vision. Indications of this are if the child stumbles frequently, reaches past objects or holds the picture book very close to the face. Even small things that make parents suspicious should be checked by an eye doctor.

Therefore it is important to observe your child well. Also eye tremor, clouded cornea or discolored pupils should urgently lead to a visit to the doctor. If the child has risk factors such as a premature birth or if there are hereditary eye diseases in the family, it is advisable to see a doctor from the age of six months even if there are no abnormalities.

Prognosis

If a visual impairment is not detected early, severe or uncorrectable damage can occur from primary school age onwards. In the case of a one-sided ametropia, the better eye can take over the visual function and the worse eye can become worse and worse. The associated areas in the brain develop worse and the visual defect can no longer be corrected.

Spatial 3D vision is then also restricted. But also a visual impairment on both sides can lead to overexertion and thus to headaches and concentration problems. So the earlier a visual impairment is treated, the better the prognosis that the eyes can develop properly.