As anyone with a vision problem knows, glasses can make a world of difference! As adults, it is easy to visit an eye doctor and have a standard eye exam to determine if eye glasses are needed. But a toddler typically does not have the understanding or vocabulary to perform an eye exam, or even let people know that their vision is blurry. Instead, you as a parent will have to look out for tell-tale signs that your toddler may have a vision problem. Talk to your child's pediatrician about an early vision screening if your child displays any of the following:

Squinting

It is normal to squint in bright light, but if you notice that your child is squinting frequently in the absence of bright light he or she may have a vision problem that can be corrected with eye glasses. When a young child has blurry vision, squinting changes the way that light rays enter the eye and can help correct the vision, which is why many people with vision squint as they strain to see something. Squinting can be a sign of both nearsightedness and farsightedness, but both of these vision issues can easily be corrected.

Sitting Too Close to the Television

In this day and age many families have large HD televisions in their homes, and the sheer size makes it easy for anyone with good vision to see the screen from several feet away. A toddler who is nearsighted will experience blurry vision when trying to focus on something far away, so sitting too close to the television is a classic sign that your child may have an undiagnosed vision problem.

Getting Up Close When Coloring or Looking at Books

When a child has blurry vision, he or she will try to figure out a way to still make things work. An example of this is children who get really close to coloring books when drawing, or hold a book close to their face when looking at the pages. Sometimes this behavior can be caused because a child is tired and his or her eyes are strained, but if it happens on a regular basis it is a good idea to make an appointment to have your toddler's eyes checked.

Extreme Clumsiness

Most toddlers can be clumsy and don't have precise control over their body movements. But vision problems can contribute to clumsiness in a child who is extremely nearsighted. If your child has very blurry vision he or she may trip over toys or other objects on the floor or run into walls or furniture. Luckily, a simple pair of eye glasses, from Cohen's Fashion Optical for exampe, can correct this issue and leave your toddler seeing clearly.