There are a few childhood vision problems that eye doctors see more often than others, including refractive errors, strabismus and amblyopia. Degrees of color blindness and convergence insufficiency are also common.

Eye exams are often recommended for young children, regardless of whether any apparent visual discomfort is noticeable or not. If your child is experiencing suspected symptoms, however, scheduling an eye exam with an eye doctor — specifically, a pediatric optometrist — helps ensure an accurate diagnosis and increases the chances that early treatment will prove beneficial.

Childhood refractive errors: Nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism

Refractive errors are caused by the natural shape of the eye changing the way light hits the retina inside the eye. These conditions are the most common seen in childhood and adulthood, and also some of the easiest to treat. In most cases, they can be remedied with a pair of prescription glasses or contact lenses.

Symptoms of any of the following refractive errors in children can include:

• Eye squinting or straining

• Eye rubbing

• Blurred vision

• Headaches

• Attention problems

• Clumsiness

Myopia (Nearsightedness)

A nearsighted child sees close-up objects more clearly than distant objects, which appear blurry. This happens when the shape of the eye is slightly elongated. Myopia is the most common refractive error in the world; the World Health Organization estimates approximately 2.5 billion people (and rising) are currently nearsighted.

Hyperopia (Farsightedness)

A farsighted child sees distant objects more clearly than near objects, which look more fuzzy. This occurs when the eye’s shape is slightly shorter than normal.

Astigmatism

A child with astigmatism will have problems seeing both near and far objects due to a slightly misshapen cornea (the clear layer in front of the pupil). Astigmatism levels are usually different in each eye, meaning glasses or contact lens prescriptions will also be different for each eye.

Astigmatism can be present alongside myopia or hyperopia.

Strabismus

Strabismus is a condition where one eye doesn’t align correctly with a child’s line of vision. It is usually treated with corrective lenses or surgery.

The American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus estimates that around 4% of the U.S. population has some form of strabismus.

In the four main types of strabismus, one eye appears to have normal alignment while the other is misaligned:

• Esotropia – One eye points inward, toward the nose.

• Exotropia – One eye points outward, toward the ear.

• Hypotropia – One eye points downward, toward the mouth.

• Hypertropia – One eye points upward, toward the forehead.

There are multiple forms of each one of the four main strabismus classifications. They each have varying causes, symptoms and treatment.

The most common form of strabismus is accommodative esotropia, when one eye turns inward as a child focuses on an object. The inward eye will temporarily straighten when farsighted glasses are worn, but returns to pointing inward once the glasses are removed. If the child isn’t actively focusing on an object, both eyes can appear straight.

Accommodative esotropia is usually treated with glasses, and in some cases, strabismus surgery may be recommended. Sometimes, the condition goes away on its own as a child gets older.