your child sees better out of one eye compared to the other,” Dr. Johnson says. “Closing one eye enables the stronger eye to send a clear image to the brain, resulting in clearer vision.” You can also tell which eye your kid is having trouble with by covering each of their eyes one at a time and then asking them what they can see and which eye sees more clearly. Squinting is another possible sign of vision problems. When you squint, the shape of your eyes changes a bit, making it easier to see what you’re looking at. It limits the amount of light that enters the eyes and focuses incoming light directly onto the center of the retina. “Squinting (at something close or something at a distance),” Dr. Randall says, “is a dead giveaway that your child’s vision may not be what it can be.” eye exam,” Dr. Randall says, “will often sit hunched over their drawings or homework, which keeps the paper and their writing closer to their faces.” You can also tell if a trip to the eye doctor is needed by watching to see if they rub their eyes a lot. It’s common to rub your eyes when you’re tired, but if your kids rub their eyes while reading, they may have a vision problem. “Rubbing the eyes is a common practice among children who don’t have the verbal skills to communicate a problem with their vision,” Dr. Lazarus says, “and instead try to rub the blurry vision away.” Also notice whether they tend to keep one eye closed a lot, especially when they’re reading or playing a game on their phone or laptop. “This might indicate that 98 HAWAII PARENT May/June 2025 A small change in vision can bring a big change in your child’s future “Closing one eye enables the stronger eye to send a clear image to the brain, resulting in clearer vision”
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