My 5 year old son will close his left eye when he reads or is trying to look at something small. This started a couple of weeks ago. We made an appointment with an eye doctor as soon as we noticed him doing it, but it's still a couple of weeks away. He has had vision screening in the past, and all was fine. I'm just wondering if anyone has had similar experiences and what the outcome was.
Thanks for all the great responses. They were all informative and reassuring. My son had his eye tested, and he is farsighted! His eyeball is too short, so he is able to compensate for farsightedness by refocusing. But his eyes tire of this eventually, and he has to cross his eyes, or close one of them. His depth perception is good. He'll have to wear glasses for reading and class work, but not for outside play. WE are going to DR Sorkin in Peabody to get an accurate measurement for his glasses. Dr Chase in Medford says that he was the best for getting accurate readings on kids eyes. There is a chance that they eyeball will elongate as he grows. So, all in all, it is not so bad. The worst part will be getting him to NOT lose his glasses.
this could be a condition called strabismus where the eyes do not properly line up and therefore do not work as a unit and see the same things. Please call a good eye specialist as it is very important to be seen and fixed at a very young age and he may be at that line right now.
It could totally be nothing. It could mean that he is left eye dominate and his left eye is stronger then his right. Try this. Have him make a circle with his hands (like holding a bottle of soda). Have him look at something small (like a door knob) through the center of the circle with both eyes open. Then have him close first his left eye and then his right. Which ever eye he has open and the doorknob stays in the center of his hands that is his dominate eye.
When my son was 5 yrs old and in kindergarden, they checked his vision. I received a note from the nurse stating he did not pass the first or second tests given to him and a trip to our eye doctor was suggested. I am so happy I took him. His vision was 70/20. The eye dr. had him wear a patch on his good eye for several hours a day and rechecked him in two weeks. at that two week visit, his eye site improved to 50/20. Along with his patch , which was difficult to keep put on and take off of him, he was given glasses, again to keep on as long as possible. It wasn't until after he went to the eye dr that I realized that he had been tilting his head when watching TV or looking at something. His eye was considered "lazy" or weak. The patch was a great help!!!! He continues to wear the glasses once in a while especially when he is doing alot of computer homework. You should deffinately take him to an eye dr. and get treatment now. It is amazing how well their eyes can heal when they are that age. Best of Luck. Let me know how you make out.
Hi,
it could mean a few things.. both my kids wear glasses, one for lazy eye and the other has an astigmatism. they are 8 and 3.. they both squinted, closed one eye to see.. you want to take your child to the one and only wonderful pediatric opthamologist in peabody, Dr Jeffrey Sorkin!! HE's the only specialist on the north shore for ped opthamology. the rest say they do kids, but they aren't as qualified as he is.. He's wonderful!!!!! I know soooo many people who go to him. It took us three different dr's to figure out we needed to go to him.. I trust him completly. It's well worth the call...
I am 37 yrs old and I have that problem. What I found out from my eye doctor is that my eyes cross as they get tired. As the day wears on I will close on eye to watch tv or to read. I have perfect vision. I wear special lens in my glasses that are like prisms that help keep my eyes straight. He will have to wear the glasses to read and watch tv but not for everyday stuff like going out to play.
Hi C.,
I have no idea whether this is what your son is going through but I found this info I think might help.
I just thought that I would recommend a pediatric optholmologist that I used when my son needed Surgery for a closed tear duct that never opened on its own. She is located in Morristown if this is close for you. Her name is Lucy Chen. She was wonderful! Good luck!
Pediatric Eye Physicians
95 Madison Ave # 301
Morristown, NJ zip code
Phone: ###-###-####
I am 37 years old and started doing what you described since I was nine or ten years olb. My vision is not great and closing one eye to me is comforatable and natural. I wear glasses and no eye doctor I have seen has a name for having one eye closed all the time or can explain why it happens.
Maybe sunlight or any light is agravating to my left eye more than my right. In the dark I use both eyes. I hope this helps. Contact with me is available at ____@____.com
