Indications of severe visual problems 

(which are often particularly noticeable in the young or when they first begin to occur).      

Eyes are watery under bright light              

Suffers from headaches/migraine

Rubs, pokes or hits eyes                               

Attracted to light sources;  eg stares at lights/the sun

Looks at things with short quick glances        

Looks ‘through’ people

Squints periodically                                        

Has bouts of blinking

Waves fingers in front of eyes                       

Prefers to use peripheral vision 

Finds eye contact difficult                              

Seems startled when approached  

Is slow to recognize people at a distance      

Misinterprets facial expressions

Has dilated or narrowed pupils                      

Opens eyes wide/stares OR covers or shields one eye with his hand  when looking at things/people

Seems to be clumsy OR has gradually become more clumsy than before

Looks at feet when walking

Afraid of/has difficulty with heights i.e. goes downstairs one step at a time, has problems using escalators, stepping off a curb, going over bridges etc. 

May stumble/fall (or even take an unusually large step) when moving from one floor surface to another eg when going through doorways or going over a zebra crossing.     

Doesn’t appear to look where going                 

Bumps into things

Totally unafraid of heights

Enjoys OR avoids:

  being in the dark                       bright lights

  going through tunnels               going through an avenue of trees

  night driving

Is  fascinated with OR dislikes:-

  shadows,  reflections                     

  certain colours, stripes/patterns

  small items eg bits of fluff

Is very adept OR has great difficulty:-

  picking things up        

  catching a ball

  putting a peg/object in a slot/hole (especially if the hole is black)

  colouring within lines

  doing intricate work i.e. tapestry etc.                  

  creating extremely intricate designs

When writing:-

  has problems when copying (better with large print)

  uses large letters;                                                   

  runs words together

  stops frequently/becomes tired quickly                   

  shuts or rubs eyes

When reading:-

  misreads or combines words                             

  repeats words/lines

  skips words/lines

Has difficulty distinguishing letters/words on a  blackboard, a whiteboard or on a page

Has:

    Hyperlexia

    Dyslexia

    Dyspraxia