How To Tell If Your Kid Needs Glasses | Colorado Children’s Photographer

Last week my own little princess got her first pair of glasses 0_0 She's completely thrilled and picked glasses that "match mommy's" (be still my heart- must remember these moments when she's 13 and I'm the worst mom in the world haha!) We knew about a year ago that she *might* have some vision issues, but it became pretty clear by fall that we had an early adopter on our hands.

So how can you tell if your kiddo needs to get hooked up with an optometrist?

1. Squinting- if you catch your munchkin regularly mean mugging the tv, or the bird in the tree, or the ice cream truck in the distance- you might wanna get 'em an eye test. Same goes for the good 'ole pirate eye....unless of course they're pretending to BE a pirate.

2. Headaches- we started getting a fair few of these around here...a little water and some tylenol put her right, but hopefully her new spectacles will knock 'em out!

3. Sitting too close to the tv/holding tablets or phones too close to the eyes- okay so take this one with a grain of salt- because I know I'm far from the only one I know who did this as a kid, and my eyesight didn't abandon ship until I was about 14. But if your kiddo complains that they can't *see* their favorite show unless they sit that close- that's a red flag.

4. Eye rubbing- eye strain is a real thing, and even if your little doesn't realize they're struggling to see, their eyes do. Eye rubbing outside of the nap or bedtime window is something you should look out for.

5. Problems in school- issues concentrating and comprehending new material are common in kids who need corrective lenses- so if you're noticing any of the other signs and your little has struggled a bit in class, you *may* have found the culprit.

Our trip to the optometrist was pretty painful. Instead of the giant machine (which I have just googled is called a phoropter haha) they had a little handheld doodad which they could manually pop lenses in and out of- way less intimidating for a kiddo. She did end up needing her eyes dilated (baby bear inherited her mama's astigmatism)...she was not a fan of the eye drops but was okay with watching The Good Dinosaur while we waited...and was definitely okay with the promise of ice cream haha! Then she got to pick her frames...and man she might be the most adorable thing I've ever seen in them. The Mr. and I will randomly call her over just so we can look at her- she has quickly tired of that game =P

Don't wait too long if you think your little one is having vision problems- some vision issues can be caused by eye disease and other health issues, and uncorrected vision can actually impact the development of the eye- plus you know...seeing is pretty nice ^_^