Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy DS needs glasses, could this be the answer?

I've been struggling to understand why DS isn't doing quite as well as I would expect in school. Just last night we learned that he is quite nearsighted!

In the past, I've asked him if he could see the smart board at school and he would always answer yes. I asked him again last night and again he answered yes! I asked him how is that possible from what the eye doctor told me? He answered, Oh, I can SEE the smart board, I just can't tell what's on it! Arrrrg! Why does he have to be so literal.

If he's not seeing the board, I honestly don't know how he's managed to get by in school! We are an English-only speaking family but DS is in a Chinese immersion program 50% of the day (teacher uses NO English). The Chinese teacher uses the smart board heavily to support what she is teaching, especially when teaching math.

I'm really hoping his getting glasses helps him do better in school. Is it possible the answer is so simple? Why hasn't his teachers noticed he can't see?

He may not have needed them before, and it came on slowly. Their eyes are pretty adaptable when younger. Kids don't always know how to articulate the change. Our schools screen vision each year, but you should still take them in for a thorough exam every two years. Even going in yearly or more, I've wondered how we've missed things -- like, how long did my DS need a bifocal addition before we caught it?

From what I understand, each year as they grow, more and more students are identified as near-sighted. Where you'll see few kids with glasses in K, more will wear them each year. Some studies suggest that increased indoor time is a risk factor (the more the schooling, the more likely to be nearsighted), and spending more time outdoors (whether it's sunlight or looking further away, I'm not sure) can reduce the development or progression of myopia.

There are so many things going on in early elementary, I would necessarily expect a teacher to notice - you hadn't noticed at home either. We were also told that changes in eye-sight can happen really quickly when children are young (early elementary age). The one person at school I would expect to notice would be the school nurse - our school district has the school nurse screen each child's eyesight once a year, and I'm guessing if they were near-sighted a note would go home.

That said, our ds is color-blind, the school tests for that, and apparently realized it, and didn't bother to tell us.

And... re teachers not noticing... or nurses when screening... our oldest dd had severe double-vision and lack of peripheral vision in early elementary, and none of her teachers *ever* notice (neither did her parents). The signs were all there, but none of us knew what to look for or realized we should be looking for anything When we found out at the end of 2nd grade, through a round-about eval brought on by concerns over academic struggles... our dd just looked at me like I had three eyes in my head and said "Of course I see two of everything... don't you?" So that may be part of why your ds didn't say anything to you about not being able to read what's written on the white board - at his age, with his life experiences, he might have been thinking that's the way everyone saw it.

Let us know if correcting his vision helps with school!

Best wishes,

polarbear

We missed myopia as well. Upon receiving the first pair of glasses, our highly articulate and communicative child commented that the headaches at school had finally stopped...as in the headaches that had been occurring for a year (due to eye strain) without it crossing said child's mind to report them to parents!

We missed extreme farsightedness until age four or five. He didn't know any better and since he read all the time, worked on puzzles and did artwork for hours, there were not many signs. (Despite the name, farsightedness is not really being able to see far, another thing we learned.)

The first person he saw didn't diagnose just how bad his eyes were (let's say he got approximately half the prescription strength he needed). A few years later, the real situation was assessed and it definitely helped him in school.

So, yes, it's so possible to miss it when it's always been that way for the child!

My mother used to memorise the eye chart before testing. It took quite a while for them to catch on. I was fine until i was 25 - i always sat in tbe front at lectures and therefore didn't notice until i was late one day and had to sit at the back.

You all make me feel much better that DS's myopia wasn't caught earlier. I have my fingers crossed that the glasses will make a difference at school.

DS8 got his glasses last night. He has been running around excitedly checking out everything that he can now see and comparing the before - after! The difference is remarkable and I'm certain it can only help his performance at school.

I also learned that our school doesn't screen vision or hearing every year, only in certain grades so it's a lesson that you shouldn't depend on the school screenings.

That is GREAT news! So happy for your son.

Last year what started happening was that I would be reading in bed and suddenly wake up as my book dropped on the floor with a bang. What was happening was that I was putting my book further and further away from eyes in order to read it better. Before, if I had fallen asleep my book would just drop on to the bed.

I only realized how bad my eyes had got was when a friend lent me her glasses to read a menu and suddenly every thing became crystal sharp.

I am not surprised if little kids don't realize their eyes are getting progressively worse - I'm old enough to know and didn't realize it for myself.