Kids learn more every day as they develop, and their eyes play a vital role in understanding and interacting with the world. Eyes undergo numerous changes as they develop, including the ability to focus at various distances, the formation of depth perception, and enhanced hand-eye coordination.
Various eye problems affect children as they grow, including issues that persist into their teenage years or emerge during this time of life. Some signs of eye problems in teens can be easily missed, so let’s explore the eye conditions they may experience, their symptoms, and how we can help treat them.
Bronx Eye Associates has an extensive medical team dedicated to helping families in the Pelham Gardens area of the Bronx, New York, with a range of eye problems, including those affecting growing teens.
If your teenager has an eye problem, it’s likely one of these issues:
With everyone relying more and more on digital screens from computers, pads, and phones for most everything, digital eye strain is on the rise. Also known as computer vision syndrome, this problem makes it harder for teens to focus after prolonged use.
The broad term for problems in which objects become harder to see at a distance due to the curvature of the cornea, with myopia (nearsightedness) being the most common. Other common forms include farsightedness (hyperopia) and astigmatism (corneal irregularities).
Many teens start wearing contact lenses as they become more self-conscious about glasses, but adjusting to them can cause several types of discomfort.
If your teenager has allergies, triggers can cause discomfort that hinders vision, which can be especially bad when outside in warm weather.
Difficulty making out objects at certain distances can be easy to spot if your teen squints, complains of blurry vision, moves their head to adjust vision, or moves closer to an object to see it.
Other symptoms can be harder to determine right away, such as headaches when reading or focusing, constant eye rubbing, itchiness, and redness.
Swelling, light sensitivity, or eye discharge are also symptoms to look for and should be addressed by a medical professional as soon as possible.
Glasses and contact lenses are common solutions for managing refractive errors, and if your teen is new to either, we can help them adjust with minimal discomfort. We also offer many other solutions for managing vision problems, including disposable contacts, eyedrops, allergy treatments, and specialized lenses for astigmatism and other problems.
If you notice signs of eye problems with your teen, make an appointment with the medical team at Bronx Eye Associates to improve their vision.
