August is a month when many children in the U.S. are either heading back to school or preparing to. One of the best ways to help students succeed is to make sure they are seeing clearly. In celebration of Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, Prevent Blindness, in partnership with the organization’s Children’s Vision Massachusetts and School Health, has created new web-based and downloadable resources to help spread awareness and set kids up for healthy vision and growth.

The Importance of Eye Health

Vision plays a critical role in children’s physical, cognitive, and social development. Sight disorders can negatively impact a baby’s ability to bond with parents and caregivers, explore their environment, and build both fine and gross motor skills. 

Visual function can also be a strong predictor of academic performance. Without early detection and treatment, uncorrected vision disorders can interfere with reading ability, focus, classroom behavior, and learning, and even lead to permanent vision loss. 

Some Eye Problems to Look For

Approximately one out of every four school-aged children, and one in every 17 preschool-aged children have some form of vision problem requiring treatment. Common vision problems in children include:

• Amblyopia (also called ‘lazy eye’), where one eye appears crossed,
• Strabismus (crossed eyes), and 
• Refractive errors, such as:
  • Myopia (nearsightedness), 
  • Hyperopia (farsightedness), and 
  • Astigmatism (blurred or distorted vision). 

Fortunately, about 80% of all vision impairment is either preventable or treatable. 

Signs of Eye Problems in Children

While a child may say plainly that they can’t see or that things look blurry, there are other signs of possible vision issues that are not as obvious. A child with problems seeing clearly might:

• Rub their eyes a lot
• Close or cover one eye
• Tilt their head or thrust it forward
• Hold books or other objects close to their eyes 
• Blink, squint, or frown more than usual
• Seem cranky when doing close-up work

Children with eye problems may also have watery eyes or crusty, swollen, or red-rimmed eyelids. Not all vision problems have outward or unusual signs, however, which is why regular vision screening is crucial. 

Risk Factors for Vision Issues

Children may be at higher risk of developing a vision problem if they: 

• Were born prematurely (<32 weeks gestation)  
• Have a family history of vision disorders
• Have had an eye injury (complications from childhood eye injuries can develop later)  
• Have been diagnosed with a problem that could affect physical, mental and/or, emotional development 

The increasing amount of time that children spend staring at digital screens for school, entertainment, and social interaction is a topic of concern for parents, educators and health professionals. Eye protection, limiting screen time, and other recommendations are available through the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health. 

How to Access Resources

To help set up your child and others for success, help spread awareness of these issues affecting eye health. Tip sheets, posters, and other resources in both English and Spanish can be accessed with the following links:

• https://preventblindness.org/childrens-screen-time-tips/
• https://nationalcenter.preventblindness.org/your-childs-sight/ 
• http://preventblindness.org/vision-care-financial-assistance-information/
• https://preventblindness.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Snapshot-Report-2020condensedF.pdf 

*Prevent Blindness. (2021, July 23). Prevent Blindness Offers Parents, Caregivers, and Educators, Free Resources to Help Keep Children’s Eyes and Vision Healthy. https://preventblindness.org/free-resources-childrens-eyes-vision/