A child who is having problems at school, whether due to inattention or performance, prompts parents to turn to a psychologist or meditation teacher. However, before that, the little one should have an ophthalmological consultation. Vision problems can cause exactly such effects, explains Dr. Mihaela Florescu, primary ophthalmologist.

The main signs that a child has vision problems are a tendency to sit as close as possible to objects, tilting the head, closing or covering one eye with a hand while watching TV, headache or eye pain, tiredness, tearing or blinking excessively , rubbing of the eyes, excessive sensitivity to light, redness of the eyes, abnormal movements and any unusual appearance of the eyes.

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“Certain eye conditions can be unilateral and asymptomatic, that’s why I recommend a full ophthalmological consultation around the age of 3, even if there are no signs of eye damage. In addition, I recommend a consultation before the start of the school year to rule out or treat a possible eye condition that could affect the child’s vision and, implicitly, comfort and school performance”, says Dr. Mihaela Florescu.

Studies show that good vision is extremely important, because the eyes perceive 80-90% of the information from the surrounding environment, so we need to check and treat possible eye conditions from childhood in order to benefit from the maximum capabilities of the eyes and reach performance in the activity that everyone wants.

What problems can arise

According to the specialist, the biggest problem that a child who can’t see well has at school is the difficulty of following the writing on the blackboard, and from here many other derivative signs appear such as inattention, delayed reactions, nervousness and, implicitly, drop in school performance. “In this way, I also encourage the teaching staff to recommend to the parents the complete ophthalmological control of the children in situations where they notice unusual visual behavior in the classroom”, declares Dr. Mihaela Florescu.

The doctor points out that if one of the parents wears glasses, there is a much greater chance that the child will also need glasses. Studies show that parents with changes in strabismus, farsightedness, myopia or astigmatism have a 70-80% risk of having children with the same type of deficiency.

Children who have been recommended to wear glasses should go to the ophthalmologist’s office once a year for a check-up or whenever various symptoms appear that would be related to a deterioration of the child’s vision. Failure to diagnose and treat certain eye conditions in a timely manner can lead to permanent visual disability.