wondering if I should get her eyes checked

**UUMomof3** · 01-26-2009, 10:27 AM

ODD has been having some difficulty with her reading. I seriously don't think it's a vision problem, I think it has to do with how she was taught letter sounds in preschool and kindergarten. She was taught that /b/ is /buh/, so now she doesn't hear vowels as their own sounds but as extensions of the onset sound. We're working on it.

BUT. I also notice that after watching long DVD's or plays she complains of a headache.

I don't notice her squinting but she does hold the book close a little bit close to her face.

So I guess I'm going to have to call the peds and get a vision check. Ugh.

**homesteadmamma** · 01-26-2009, 10:46 AM

A child should always have their vision checked. If they don't need glasses that's great. However, if they do need them and don't have them, everything suffers, kwim. Also with all the tests they do now when having an eye test, they can screen many other illnesses that family physicians often miss.

**Michelle** · 01-26-2009, 11:17 AM

I don't think it could hurt to have her vision checked. If she *is* having trouble seeing, you'll feel so much better having it corrected for her.

**TexasPeanut** · 01-26-2009, 11:31 AM

I agree with the others, while it's something unexpected and you don't think she may have a vision problem, just getting her checked will at least put your mind at ease. And if she does have a problem that needs correcting it's best to get started now.

When our DS was in elementary school I never thought he had a problem but a test showed he did. He had trouble reading things far away, like on a blackboard or off the overhead at school no matter where he sat. We got him glasses that were very affordable but effective and the eye doc told him to only were those glasses when he needed to look off the overhead or blackboard at school, otherwise do not where them. Basically if he kept them on all the time or while reading close up, it would damage his vision farther. I've seen a great improvement on his grades as now most of his work is done off the overhead at junior high. Perhaps your daughter just needs a small correcting of her vision like my son and will not need to wear glasses all the time either. She may only need them for reading purposes and she may not even need them at all, but it's best to know for sure.

**Trishagirl** · 01-26-2009, 11:32 AM

I agree with Michelle have her vision checked to be on the save side and you can rule that out if she's fine there.

**UUMomof3** · 01-26-2009, 12:07 PM

Oh, we'll certainly get it checked. It's just that whole ONE MORE THING, if you know what I mean. I am forever reminding her about doing something with her hair to keep it out of her face. Then she needed braces about 2 years before the dentist thought she would, so I get to fight about headgear. She has to wear it during the day because she kept breaking it at night. This will be ever so much fun if she has to add glasses to the mix!

**Starlight9803** · 01-26-2009, 09:24 PM

Of course, get her eyes checked, but if that comes back normal, I would get her tested for her visual/auditory processing. Sometimes the actual sight is fine, but the brain doesn't process something right. Good luck!

**brennasmom** · 01-26-2009, 09:44 PM

I would have her vision checked, even if just to rule it out as an issue. Good luck!

**fixer** · 01-26-2009, 10:50 PM

I second the notion of having her vision checked. Mine was first checked when I needed a physical for P.E. my freshman year of high school. I could not see the big E at the top of the chart. I did not know you were supposed to see things past three feet in front of you. Children have a way of coping so there are no outward signs of a problem.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 01-27-2009, 12:01 AM

Originally Posted by UUMomof3

ODD has been having some difficulty with her reading. I seriously don't think it's a vision problem, I think it has to do with how she was taught letter sounds in preschool and kindergarten. She was taught that /b/ is /buh/, so now she doesn't hear vowels as their own sounds but as extensions of the onset sound. We're working on it.

BUT. I also notice that after watching long DVD's or plays she complains of a headache.

I don't notice her squinting but she does hold the book close a little bit close to her face.

So I guess I'm going to have to call the peds and get a vision check. Ugh.

Have her checked out. We've been taking our kids to the eye doctor since they were born because of family history, but it is recommended that all children have a first checkup by the time they're six months old.

It's a vision problem.

**Momto2Boyz** · 01-27-2009, 07:02 AM

I agree with everyone above! Have her eyes checked just to ease your worries! If it's nothing, then you can go about getting her extra reading help, but if it is simply her eyes, it'll make it easier for her to concentrate on her reading!

**UUMomof3** · 01-27-2009, 07:37 AM

Thanks everyone. DH also pointed out that there are some components to dyslexia (he is dyslexic) that don't always crop up until later. When she was in PS the teachers were all very pooh-pooh at any notion that she might have the same problem.

So we'll start with the eyes, and in the meantime I will begin doing some research about dyslexia and other suchness.