When i’m not looking at you. | Vista Eye Specialist

My right eye turned away but I wasn’t making it do so. It was as if it had a life of its own, regardless where the left side was looking at. My mother noticed it when I was about 5 years old but we didn’t think much of it.

Slowly, it felt tiring when I wanted to see for long. I had to sit in the very front of the class as I could not see the blackboard. I had terrible headaches from trying too hard and later started to do poorly in school. As I grew older, it started to get worse until I would see double images. I couldn’t play sports as the ball keep moving away from where I thought it was supposed to be.

I was afraid of being laughed at and this affected how I reacted to people. I rarely looked at others when I talked to them. I started to avoid crowds and had few friends. Occasionally, someone would ask me what was wrong and I would scream at them! Eventually, I started closing one eye to help me see better.

What eye problems do kids face?

Commonly known as “cross-eye”, this and many other eye problems affect children in different ways but most can be treated if detected early. An increase in cases of kids’ eye problems such as eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision, loss of focus & attention, double vision and dry eyes has been observed, a result of the increased time children spend on mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets. Without good vision, a child’s ability to learn becomes more difficult. Untreated eye problems can worsen and lead to more serious problems that not only affects their vision and learning ability but also their personality when growing up.

How often should my kid see an eye specialist?

After the age of 3, children should get their eyes checked routinely by an eye specialist every year, but if a squint or any other obvious abnormality is observed, they should see the doctor even at birth.