Poor eyesight can cause learning and behavioural problems, which might be blamed on other things.

This is espeacially true for younger children, who may find it difficult to explain the difficulties they are having with their eyesight.

They may not even be aware they have a problem at all.

The sooner that vision problems are detected, the better the outcome. Conditions such as squint and amblyopia ( lazy eye) can be treated more edffectively if it is picked up early.

What things to look out for

It’s often difficult to tell whether your child has sight problems, which is why regular eye tests are so important. However, there are a number of things to look out for:

• Straining their eyes or tilting their head to see better
• Frequent eye rubbing
• Losing their place while reading, or using a finger to guide their eyes
• Sensitivity to light and/or excessive tearing
• Falling behind in school
• Complaining of headaches or tired eyes
• Consistently sitting too close to the TV or holding a book too close
• Avoiding activities which require near vision, such as reading or homework, or distance vision, such as participating in sports or other recreational activities
• Closing one eye to read, watch TV or see better
• Avoiding using a computer or tablet because it "hurts their eyes"
• The presence of a "turn" in the eye or a misdirection of the eyes
• A "white reflex" in photographs. This is similar in appearance to red-eye, except it’s white. It is extremely serious – if you notice it, you should seek medical attention immediately.

If your child does require glasses, you may be eligible for the optical scheme:

Spectacles Assistance Scheme

The Spectacles Assistance Scheme provides financial assistance for the purchase of spectacles to those people who meet the guidelines.

• If eligible, you will be assisted with the cost of specific types of lenses and frames.
• There is a restriction on the frequency of application.
• The assistance is means tested.
• Assistance may not be available to all Health Care Card holders.

To be considered for assistance you must submit

• a completed Spectacles Assistance Scheme application form
• an optometrists script for glasses.

More information

You can contact the Spectacles Assistance Scheme on 1800 232 148.