Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness

These ABC's tell you that a child's eyes need examination by an eye doctor.

appearance

• eyes that cross, turn in or out or move independently of one another . . . all of the time, part of the time or when the child is tired
• red or crusted, drooping or swollen eyelids, frequent styes or watering
• pupils or eyes of different sizes

behavior

• closing an eye or covering it . . . squinting, frowning, blinking, rubbing or squeezing the eyes trying to see
• holding reading or writing materials in unusual positions . . . too close . . . too far. . . or tilted oddly
• turning the head to use one eye
• trouble keeping place reading
• tripping, stumbling or daydreaming excessively
• avoiding visual concentration

complaints

• eye pain, headaches or nausea
• blurriness or inability to see
• words that "move" or "jump"
• double vision