# 6 year old has no vision problems I can see, but acts oddly when told to "look at" something **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 16, 2011, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-has-no-vision-problems-i-can-see-but-acts-oddly-when-told-to-look-at-something/585636 "2011-06-16T00:46:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-has-no-vision-problems-i-can-see-but-acts-oddly-when-told-to-look-at-something/585636/1 "2011-06-16T00:46:07Z")
As far as I can tell there’s nothing to worry about here. (Though I’ll be mentioning it next time we’re at the doctor, just to be sure.) But it’s very strange how my kid (6 years old) acts when he’s told to look directly at something. When taking pictures, we tell him to look at the camera, and invariably he looks off to the side. We tell him he’s not looking at the camera, and he shifts his eye position–but to look off to some other side. Never right at the camera. When we tell him he’s not looking at the camera, he insists that he is. At baseball, the coach tells him to look at the ball, and the same thing–he looks everywhere but at the ball. The reason I say this is strange and not alarming is that as far as I can tell he has no visual problems. And when not being specifically _told_ to look straight at something, he looks straight at things with no problem whatsoever. It’s as though he’s fine til his _attention_ is brought to the “looking at something” process and then he becomes completely unable to do it. Is this something you’ve seen in young children? ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-has-no-vision-problems-i-can-see-but-acts-oddly-when-told-to-look-at-something/585636/2 "2011-06-16T00:57:47Z")
I wouldn’t say that’s nothing to worry about. Take him to a doctor sooner rather than later. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-has-no-vision-problems-i-can-see-but-acts-oddly-when-told-to-look-at-something/585636/3 "2011-06-16T00:58:15Z")
Get a checkup with a pediatric opthamologist. > **[Conditions: Strabismus (misaligned eyes) & Amblyopia | Eugene Eye Care](https://www.eugeneeyecare.com/conditions-strabismus-amblyopia/)** > > Strabismus, although often referred to as "crossed eyes", is actually the term used to describe any condition in which the eyes are not parallel. [http://www.aapos.org/terms/conditions/100](http://www.aapos.org/terms/conditions/100) ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-has-no-vision-problems-i-can-see-but-acts-oddly-when-told-to-look-at-something/585636/4 "2011-06-16T00:58:55Z")
When you say “he has no visual problems, that you can tell”, does that mean (and I’m assuming it does:)), that the child is not “cross eyed” or “wide eyed” to any degree? I have to concur with Astro and Absolute, have the youngun’ checked out. Soon as possible. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-has-no-vision-problems-i-can-see-but-acts-oddly-when-told-to-look-at-something/585636/5 "2011-06-16T01:03:55Z")
Take him to an eye doctor. You can’t tell by the naked eye whether there is a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-has-no-vision-problems-i-can-see-but-acts-oddly-when-told-to-look-at-something/585636/6 "2011-06-16T01:32:21Z")
I would fly right to the eye doctor. My 18 yo son has significant visual perception problems as the result of a stroke. Some of what you are describing sets off alarm bells. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-has-no-vision-problems-i-can-see-but-acts-oddly-when-told-to-look-at-something/585636/7 "2011-06-16T01:46:56Z")
[moderating] Since this thread is looking for medical advice, I have moved it from GQ to IMHO. As always, your best bet is to see a trained medical professional instead of relying on the advice of random strangers on the Internet. Good luck! [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-has-no-vision-problems-i-can-see-but-acts-oddly-when-told-to-look-at-something/585636/8 "2011-06-16T01:53:39Z")
Get him checked out- everyone thought my habit of tilting my head was “cute”. It wasn’t- I was amblyopic and trying to see out of my good eye. ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-has-no-vision-problems-i-can-see-but-acts-oddly-when-told-to-look-at-something/585636/9 "2011-06-16T02:22:27Z")
When I was a kid, I had “No vision problems that anyone could see.” Actually, I had Amblyopia, and because no one could detect it, it wasn’t treated… So I still have it. Fortunately in my case, its not very bad. My “dead” eye looks where the other eye looks 95% of the time, and despite having completely blurry vision, still allows for depth perception. So, like others in this thread are saying, get your kid to an ophthalmologist. To your him, nothing is wrong with his vision, because that’s the only experience he has. The earlier you catch these things, the more treatable they are. ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-has-no-vision-problems-i-can-see-but-acts-oddly-when-told-to-look-at-something/585636/10 "2011-06-16T02:45:45Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Get a checkup with a pediatric opthamologist. > > [http://eugeneeyecare.com/conditions/Strabismus\_(Misaligned\_Eyes)\_and\_Amblyopia.html](http://eugeneeyecare.com/conditions/Strabismus_(Misaligned_Eyes)_and_Amblyopia.html) > > [- American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus](http://www.aapos.org/terms/conditions/100) There are specialists that work with young children’s vision problems. This sounds to me like a case to see one. The preschool vision screening I do has one overseeing the program. I sort of function as a technician. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-has-no-vision-problems-i-can-see-but-acts-oddly-when-told-to-look-at-something/585636/11 "2011-06-16T03:34:21Z")
> [@thelabdude](#): > > There are specialists that work with young children’s vision problems. This sounds to me like a case to see one. > > The preschool vision screening I do has one overseeing the program. I sort of function as a technician. Thanks for the advice so far. Let me be sure I’ve described the phenomenon clearly: He definitely _can_ and usually _does_ look directly at objects for extended periods of time when that’s appropriate to whatever activity he’s involved in. (Reading a book, playing a game, drawing, watching to see when something is going to move, etc.) The unusual bit is, when we actually _tell_ him to look at something, _that’s_ when things get weird. If he’s interested in the camera for his own purposes, he’ll look at it forever. If he’s _told_ to look at it, though, (i.e., not in order to watch for some cue, but rather, simply told “look at it,”) he appears not to understand what’s being asked of him or something. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-has-no-vision-problems-i-can-see-but-acts-oddly-when-told-to-look-at-something/585636/12 "2011-06-16T03:51:37Z")
Maybe ask him to define what it means to ‘look at’ something. Prepositions are tricky after all. You can’t point at a preposition and name it. Maybe he’s more familiar with the term ‘look out’. As in find out where the danger is coming from. Or maybe he has a favorite book where someone is looking out of the corner of their eye. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-has-no-vision-problems-i-can-see-but-acts-oddly-when-told-to-look-at-something/585636/13 "2011-06-16T03:52:58Z")
A pediatric ophthalmologist can check on issues like focus, reading distance, etc., and then refer as necessary if he or she doesn’t think it’s an ocular issue. For instance, ophthalmologists often work closely with neurologists, and may recognize it as something neurological instead. **Folly** also has a good point; it’s possible he’s mislearned exactly what “look at” means. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-has-no-vision-problems-i-can-see-but-acts-oddly-when-told-to-look-at-something/585636/14 "2011-06-16T12:46:26Z")
Yes, do take him - I was completely disbelieved when I said I had trouble seeing, and it wasn’t until my teachers said something when I was 10 that I got glasses/Lazy Eye Surgery. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-has-no-vision-problems-i-can-see-but-acts-oddly-when-told-to-look-at-something/585636/15 "2011-06-16T13:46:12Z")
I couldn’t hurt to take him. We took Squeaky when we noticed he was looking oddly at things. It turns out he had Amblyopia, which we were able to catch early. It’s being treated with glasses and an eyepatch for five hours a day. At the last check up, his right eye was nearly bak up to full vision, but he still has an astigmatism. There’s something about a two-year-old in glasses that’s too cute for words.