Signs of Vision Problems in Children

The moment your child is born, their vision plays a crucial role in their development and overall health.

An infant’s eyes evolve quickly – going from being able to detect light and motion at birth to distinguishing between colors and focusing on small objects around three to four months of age, and gauging distances and depths with greater precision around a year.

From there, the eyes don’t slowdown in progression; they rapidly continue to transform to help your child grow and acquire new skills.

If your child falls behind with expected physical, cognitive, and social development milestones, or they show disinterest in seemingly fun learning experiences, you may wonder why and tirelessly work to get to the bottom of what’s going on.

While often not the first thought as to what’s causing these bumps in the road, your child’s vision could be to blame. Recognizing the signs of vision problems in babies, toddlers or children can help you focus your attention on giving and getting them the exact support their eyes need to truly thrive.

Signs of Vision Problems in Babies

Before your baby left the hospital after birth, his/her vision was checked for general eye health by a pediatrician or physician. Even with a positive screening, your baby may still develop vision problems as they grow.

It’s important to note that from birth to around four months of age, most babies’ eyes occasionally look misaligned – a condition called strabismus. During this time period, this inward crossing or outward drifting motion of the eyes is common and to be expected. During routine health checkups, your baby’s pediatrician will assess his/her eyes and alert you if the strabismus is abnormal.

In addition, since babies grow and change so fast, you may start to notice other concerning signs of vision problems.

Signs that your baby may have a vision problem include:

One of your baby’s eyes never opens.
One of their eyes moves and the other doesn’t.
Your baby squints a lot.
Your baby’s eyes seem sensitive to light.
Your baby rubs his eyes when he’s not tired.
Instead of red-eyes when your baby’s photo is taken, there is always a white spot/white pupils.
Your baby’s eye(s) is bulging.
Your baby’s eyelid(s) is drooping.
One of your baby’s eyes is bigger than the other.
One of your baby’s pupils are a different size than the other.
Lights, mobiles, and other amusements don’t catch your baby’s attention after one month of age.
Your baby has white, grayish-white, or yellow material in the pupil of his eye that makes it appear cloudy.
You notice other changes in your baby’s eyes from how they usually look.

If you notice any of these signs, talk with your baby’s doctor immediately.

After your baby is three months of age, alert your baby’s doctor if you notice any of the following:

Your baby’s eyes don’t follow or track an object moved from side to side in front of his face.
Your baby’s eyes seem to jump or wiggle back and forth.
Your baby’s eyes turn way in or out, and stay that way.
Your baby seems to consistently tilt his head when he looks at things.

For more information on signs of vision problems in babies, and to learn best practices to support infant/baby vision development, see Your Child’s First Year of Life and Your Child’s Vision as a One-Year-Old in our comprehensive Children’s Visual Development Guide.

Signs of Vision Problems in Toddlers and Children

According to the American Public Health Association, approximately 10% of toddlers and preschoolers have eye or vision problems. As a parent, it’s vital to know that toddlers and preschool-aged children generally will not voice the vision issue(s) they’re experiencing.

With toddlers still so young, they probably don’t know yet that what they are actually seeing and experiencing is wrong and needs to be communicated to you. With this in mind, knowing the signs and symptoms to look for is imperative:

Squinting more than usual or during times that don’t warrant squinting
Frequent eye rubbing
Sensitivity to light
Eye focusing problems
Eye tracking problems (the ability to follow an object with the eyes)
Tilting their head to see something better
Short attention span for the child’s age
Sitting too close to the TV to see better
Holding a book too close to their face/eyes
Turning of an eye in or out
Abnormal eye alignment or movement
Chronic eye redness or tearing
Inability to see objects at a distance
Difficulty with eye-hand-body coordination when playing, such as with a ball or when bike riding
Displaying a disinterest in reading or fun activities, such as avoiding coloring, puzzles and other detailed activities

Good to know: Vision problems, including common ones, such as a lazy eye (amblyopia), may have no warning signs at all. For this reason, among others, it’s important to have your child’s vision checked by a children’s eye doctor. Even if your child cannot read yet, there are special tests that can check your child’s vision.

For more information on signs of vision problems in babies, and to learn best practices to support toddler’s/child’s vision development, see Your Child’s Vision as a Two-Year-Old and Your Child’s Vision as a Three to Five-Year-Old in our comprehensive Children’s Visual Development Guide.

What to Do If Your Child is Complaining of Blurred Vision and a Headache

It can be alarming if your child suddenly complains of blurred vision and/or a headache. Your immediate thoughts may be to have them sit down, relax, and make sure they’re well-hydrated.

It’s important to connect a few dots and recall what your child was doing before they complained of a headache and vision issues.

It’s recommended that they see their pediatrician regardless, as these two occurrences are more than likely caused by a symptom of an unidentified issue.

If they were doing anything that may have caused eye fatigue and/or eyestrain, the head pain and blurred vision could be caused by an underlying ocular problem, such as:

Refractive errors: Any need for glasses, for example, nearsighted (myopic), farsighted (hyperopic), or astigmatism.

Convergence insufficiency: Difficulty converging both eyes simultaneously to focus on reading.

Accommodative insufficiency: Difficulty focusing one eye at a time on reading, thereby requiring reading glasses.

Other conditions

Depending on your pediatrician’s exam, they may refer your child to a children’s eye doctor to help diagnose and treat your child.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Children’s Visual Development

When should I get my toddler’s/baby’s eyes checked?

The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends that infants get their first comprehensive eye exam between the ages of six and twelve months of age. Additional eye exams should come at age three and before they enter the first grade — around age five or six.

What are the most common eye problems in children?

Common eye problems in children include:

Turned eyes (strabismus)
Color blindness
Pink eye (conjunctivitis)
Small swelling of the eyelid (chalazion)
Lazy eye (amblyopia)
Needing strong glasses to help with nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) or another refractive error (such as astigmatism or presbyopia)

How do you know if your child needs glasses?

In addition to the signs mentioned above that indicate your child may be experiencing vision problems and need glasses, if your child is displaying behavioral issues or learning difficulties (like the ones listed below), it’s important that your child see a children’s eye doctor as soon as possible.

Squinting or reading with one eye shut
Problems in school (like exhibiting the same symptoms as ADD or ADHD)
Complaints of a headache
Complaints of double vision
Low reading comprehension

What can I expect at my child’s eye exam?

If your child is one and younger, the doctor will check:

The pupils
How the eyes move
If the eyes are lined up correctly
How the eyes react to changes in light and darkness
For nearsightedness, meaning objects far away are blurry for your child
For farsightedness, meaning things up close are blurry for your child
For astigmatism, meaning that your child’s eye shape is causing everything to look blurry to some degree
For amblyopia, meaning one eye is weaker than the other

It’s important to note that an early diagnosis of a childhood eye problem or disease is crucial for effective treatment.

If your child is between the ages of two and five, the doctor will check for the above issues again and do a vision screening using:

Eye chart tests
Pictures
Letters
The “tumbling E game” (A visual acuity game that measures how well your child sees the form and detail of objects. This game can be done even if your child cannot read yet.)

An experienced children’s eye doctor who is well-versed in working with young patients will make the appointment as fun as possible, helping to alleviate nerves and fears.

Can a child’s vision improve with age?

The short answer is: It depends. It depends on what vision issue your child is contending with. As a child grows, their eyes grow and change as well. It is entirely possible that a child’s vision can improve with age, but, for the best chances of improvement, they need the best possible support. That all starts with regular eye exams with a children’s eye doctor.

The Importance of an Annual Pediatric Eye Exam

To ensure your child’s vision is developing normally and supporting them as they grow and learn, an annual pediatric eye exam is imperative.

As your child’s biggest advocate, you undeniably want them to thrive. Read our guide to Children’s Visual Development to understand where your child’s eyes are at, depending on their age, and how you can help develop their vision.

Read: A Guide to Your Child’s Visual Development

At iCare Vision, it is our ultimate goal to make sure your child’s development, advancement, and confidence is not hindered in any way because of their vision.

We make every experience fun and engaging.

Schedule an appointment today to guarantee your child’s vision is supporting their exact living and learning needs.