Four Signs That My Daughter Was Far-Sighted

I just had a feeling she was having some troubles seeing, but I couldn’t put my finger on what they were exactly. Just when I was convinced she needed glasses and we needed an appointment at our America’s Best optometrist, she’d surprise me with her ability to read a sign along the road half a mile before I could make out the letters.

We made that appointment anyway and found out she should be wearing glasses. Because I’m near-sighted, I didn’t consider the fact that she could be the opposite. She’s far-sighted. Once my eye doctor asked me some questions about her reading behaviors, the diagnosis became even clearer.

Here were the four signs that my daughter was far sighted:

1. She had to use her fingers to focus. Although she’s a fairly new reader as a first grader, it’s not normal that she should always require a finger below the word in order to be able to read chapter book size print. But, she did. And on the rare occasion that we would read together, I noticed she was unable to follow along with me.
2. She held the iPad way too close. Children who are far-sighted tend to hold close up objects even closer in a vain attempt to seem them better. I often caught her with it just inches from her nose.
3. She couldn’t sit still to read. My optometrist asked me the following question: Does she fidget and kick her legs a lot when she reads? The answer: an emphatic yes! He explained to me that this was just her frustration with not being able to focus clearly.
4. She doesn’t like to read books. I figured this was just something to do with her attention span or her lack of confidence with her reading ability. But, apparently, this is more about her struggle with focusing and frustration. She just didn’t know it to tell me. Kids that wrestle with being far-sighted can’t stare at small print close up for too long without ultimately wanting to give up.

If your child is exhibiting any of these signs of far-sightedness, you’ll want to be sure to have them examined at your closest America’s Best optometrist right away. The sooner the better, in fact, because vision problems are one of the biggest reasons why children struggle in school.

Click here to find your closest America’s Best location and schedule an eye exam today!