Here are some signs and symptoms to look for that may indicate a vision problem. (courtesy of COVD)http://www.covd.org/?page=Symptoms

Physical signs or symptoms of a vision problem

• Frequent headaches or eye strain
• Blurring of distance or near vision, particularly after reading or other close work
• Avoidance of close work or other visually demanding tasks
• Poor judgment of depth
• Turning of an eye in or out, up or down
• Tendency to cover or close one eye, or favor the vision in one eye
• Double vision
• Poor hand-eye coordination
• Difficulty following a moving target
• Dizziness or motion sickness

 Performance problems

• Poor reading comprehension
• Difficulty copying from one place to another
• Loss of place, repetition, and/or omission of words while reading
• Difficulty changing focus from distance to near and back
• Poor posture when reading or writing
• Poor handwriting
• Can respond orally but can't get the same information down on paper
• Letter and word reversals
• Difficulty judging sizes and shapes

 How to Identify a "Vision" Problem

Children should be referred for a comprehensive eye exam whenever visual symptoms are noticed or if they are not achieving their potential. Many of these vision problems will not be detected during a school vision screening or limited vision assessment as part of a school physical or routine pediatric health evaluation. 

Identifying possible vision problems from the symptoms:-

Symptoms

-Complains of blurred vision
-Rubs eyes frequently

-Squints

Possible Vision Problems: Nearsightedness, Farsightedness, or Astigmatism (inability to see clearly in the distance or up close)

 Symptoms

- Closes or covers one eye
- Occasionally sees double
- Rubs eyes frequently
- Able to read for only a short time

- Poor reading comprehension

Possible Vision Problems: Eye coordination problems (inability to coordinate the eyes together effectively)

 Symptoms

- Holds things very close
- Complains of blurred vision
- Poor reading comprehension
- Says eyes are tired
- Able to read for only a short time
- Has headaches when reading

Possible Vision Problems: Eye focusing problems (inability to easily refocus eyes or maintain clear focus)

 Symptoms

- Moves head excessively when reading
- Frequently loses place, skips lines when reading
- Uses finger to keep place
- Poor reading comprehension

- Short attention span

Possible Vision Problems: Eye tracking problems (inadequate ability to smoothly and accurately move the eyes from one point to another)

Symptoms

- Mistakes words with similar beginnings
- Difficulty recognizing letters, words, or simple shapes and forms
- Can't distinguish the main idea from insignificant details
- Trouble learning basic math concepts of size, magnitude, and position

Possible Vision Problems: Faulty visual form perception (inability to discriminate differences in size, shape, or form)

 Symptoms

- Trouble visualizing what is read- Poor reading comprehension
- Poor speller
- Trouble with mathematical concepts
- Poor recall of visually presented material

Possible Vision Problems: Faulty visual memory (inability to remember and understand what is seen)

 Symptoms

- Sloppy handwriting and drawing
- Can't stay on lines
- Poor copying skills
- Can respond orally but not in writing

Possible Vision Problems: Faulty visual motor integration (inability to process and reproduce visual mages by writing or drawing)

 Symptoms

- Trouble learning right and left
- Reverses letters and words
- Trouble writing and remembering letters and numbers

Possible Vision Problems: Difficulty with laterality and directionality (Poor development of left/right awareness)