If you check off several items on the following checklist, consider bringing your child in for a complete eye health exam and sensorimotor examination:You observe the following behavior in your child:
- One eye drifts or points in a different direction than the other (look carefully — this can be subtle). This is significant even if it only occurs when the child is tired or stressed.
- Turns or tilts head while reading or during other visual activities
- Head is frequently tilted to one side or one shoulder is noticeably higher
- Squinting or closing of one eye
- Excessive blinking or squinting
- Poor visual/motor coordination skills (often called, “hand-eye coordination”)
- Problems judging distances while moving in space, frequently bumps into things or drops things
- Becomes easily confused when in motion Frequently loses things
While reading or doing close work your child
- Holds the reading material or object too close
- Closes one eye or covers eye with hand
- Twists or tilts head toward book or object so as to favor one eye
- Uses finger or ruler to read
- Frequently loses place and/or skips or repeats lines
- Fatigues easily and/or becomes drowsy
- Rubs eyes during or after periods of the reading or close work
- Reports that words move on page or run together
- Has a tendency to knock things over on a desk or table
- Exhibits avoidance behaviors
Child demonstrates or reports
- Headaches or eyestrain
- Nausea or dizziness
- Motion sickness or car sickness
- DOUBLE VISION!
If your child reports seeing double, please bring your child for a binocular vision evaluation immediately. Please remember that your child would probably not know that double vision is abnormal and it is unlikely that he or she would bring up the subject.