CAUSES OF HEADACHES IN CHILDREN: EYE PROBLEMS
At least some headaches in children occur because of unsuspected eye problems. Squinting or focussing difficulties cause headaches when they are minor, because the child can compensate for the problem by tensing up the eye muscles or peering. This leads on to tension in the muscles of the eye and face, and to tension headaches. Major degrees of abnormality in the eyes don’t cause headaches, simply because the child can’t compensate by tensing up his muscles, so he doesn’t try.
Every year many children are unexpectedly diagnosed as being short-sighted when they and their parents didn’t think that anything was wrong. Often it’s only spotted because the child doesn’t seem to be doing well at school. Then someone thinks to check whether she can read the blackboard – and she can’t. The trouble is, if the child’s vision has always been that way she doesn’t know any better; she thinks vision is like that for everyone, so she doesn’t complain.
Minor degrees of squinting can also remain undiagnosed for a considerable time, especially where the child can normally compensate for the squint by extra muscular action. Note also that astigmatism (an inability to focus on horizontal and vertical lines at the same time) is a particularly potent cause of headaches.
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