If you’re worried about your child’s vision, it’s a good idea to see a GP, paediatrician or optometrist to get your child’s eyes checked. Getting a diagnosis is the first step to the right intervention, the earlier the better.

seem clumsy – for example, they might knock things over or trip often.

seem to have crossed or turned eyes or a squint.

seem to see better during the day than at night.

get tired after looking at things up close – for example, reading, drawing or playing handheld games.

turn or tilt their head or cover one eye when looking at things up close.

say they’re tired or rub their eyes a lot.

Their eyes turn in towards their nose or drift outwards towards the side of their face – this might happen sometimes or all the time.Their pupils seem white or cloudy rather than black – you might notice this in photos.Their eyes don’t react to bright light being turned on in the room.They don’t seem to make eye contact with family and friends.Their eyes don’t follow your face or an object.Their eyes move quickly from side to side (nystagmus), jerk or wander randomly.Here are some other signs that a baby has vision problems: But if a baby has vision impairment, you might notice they have trouble doing this. By about 6-8 weeks, most babies will start smiling at the familiar faces and things they see. Most babies start to focus on faces and objects by 4-5 weeks of age. It might be something about a child’s behaviour or the way they use their eyes that makes you think there’s a problem with their vision. damage or injury to the eye, to the pathways connecting the eye to the brain, or to the visual centre of the brain.Įarly signs and symptoms of vision impairmentĬhildren with vision impairment might have typical-looking eyes.structural problems with the eyes that limit vision – for example, microphthalmia or anophthalmia.

infections with particular viruses during pregnancy – for example, rubella, cytomegalovirus, sexually transmitted infection, toxoplasmosis and so on.conditions like paediatric glaucoma or cataracts and cancers like retinoblastoma.illnesses that happen to some very premature babies or to babies that have particular problems during birth.genetic conditions like albinism and retinitis pigmentosa.neurological conditions that affect the parts of the brain that control sight (cortical vision impairment).The most common causes of vision impairment are: It can also happen later as a result of disease, injury or a medical condition. Their field of vision is less than 20° in diameter (a person with typical vision can see 180°).īabies might have vision impairment at birth.They can’t see at 6 m what a child with typical vision can see at 60 m.This is when a child is considered legally blind: Or they might not be able to see some colours – this is called colour blindness. Your child might have low-to-no vision, blurred vision or loss of side vision. Low vision is when your child can’t see all the things they should be able to see for their age. Other conditions get worse over time, resulting in poorer vision or blindness as children get older. Some conditions might result in vision problems for only a short time, but most vision conditions in children stay the same throughout life. Vision impairment can range from no vision – blindness – or very low vision to an inability to see particular colours. About vision impairment, low vision and blindness

Kindergarten color blind test for kids