Can someone talk me down please!? DS double vision

[Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady]

I will preface this by saying I have health anxiety so am really struggling to be rational about this.

DS 10 came out of school today saying he had double vision when looking at the white board.

He said it went away when he blinked.

He said the same thing about 4 years ago. I took him to the optition and they checked his eyes. All fine.

Over the last few years he has mentioned it once or twice but I reminded him that the optition said his eyes were fine (I know I'm a terrible mother and should have pursued it)

I can't remember him saying anything about it for over a year.

To give some details:

He says it only happens if he is looking at one thing and then quickly changes to look at something else. Goes away when he blinks.

He says he only notices it every few months (obviously noticing it more tonight because I've been doing some tests on him - I know!)

If he's just walking around normally, or talking to me he doesn't have double vision.

It only happens if he

A) has been really concentrating on something and then looks up/at something else

B) closes his eyes and then opens them (again, it goes away with 1 blink)

C) he says it's worse if he has been really concentrating on something or if he is tired.

I am trying really really hard to be rational. It's been going on for 4 years (he says if anything it's actually got better over that period) it goes away when he blinks, he has no other symptoms e.g. headaches, vomiting, fits etc

But because of the health anxiety I have been in tears thinking worst case scenario. Brain tumour.

PLEASE can someone talk me down

Did you not take him for annual eye checks? Kids should be checked annually and adults every 2 years

Book an eye test

He should have his eyes tested, OP. You'll probably find he needs glasses.

Agreed get an eye test. Double vision is one of my symptoms. I don't have a brain tumour but I do have a neurological condition going on that was picked up from an eye test.

Sorry I forgot to say I have booked an eye test for tomorrow.

I actually I had no idea that children should be tested that often (bad parent alert) I didn't have an eye test until I couldn't read the words on the blackboard in year 7 and got glasses.

The thing is though his eye test was fine 4 years ago and the symptoms are the same.

@Snowbeau does your double vision go away if you blink

Poor you. I have health anxiety and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

I have had therapy for it and what I have learned is do not google, do not seek reassurance from others (I know it's hard) and if you must think about the worst case scenario (I know your mind just takes you there) also try to think of alternative outcomes.

If I had to bet money on it I would say your son is totally fine but the only thing that's going to put your mind at ease is getting him checked out so I would do that and not because I think there's something wrong with him but because it will make you feel better xx

Agree with PPs, my first port of call would be him having another eye test. One of the first questions he'll be asked about about any double vision.

Sorry, x posted, glad he's got an appointment tomorrow. It could just be down to him straining his eyes, or being overtired, but the eye test is necessary anyway.

Book an eye test. I get very tired and my blurry vision gets worse. I used to get this before glasses. Sometimes my eyes don't seem to focus straight away. But the optician has no reason to think anything else is going on. Normal for me

I have a lazy eye, I get double vision of I have been looking at text for a long time, if I blink a few times or look away and look back it goes. I think its because my good eye gets tired of compensating.

He does have a lot of screen time

I have a glide. When I don’t concentrate properly or if I am tired my eye glides and I see double, particularly if I am looking at an object far away.

It’s likely to be nothing sinister but it’s probably best to book him an eye examination as soon as you can.

A standard optician may not pick up on convergence insufficiency which can cause double vision. If they say his eyes are fine press them to explain the double vision.

Lazy eye has occurred to but his eyes look normal. I wonder if it's mild muscle weakneas and only presents when he's tired etc and that's why they didn't pick up on it?

Lazy eye is not the same as a squint
Lazy eye is when the vision is poorer in one eye than the other.

I will press them. I should have pressed them years ago but was just so relieved that his eyes were normal.

*occurred to me

I’m shortsighted and I get this if I’ve been focusing on one thing for a long time, such as reading a book or something, and then if I look up it takes a while to focus. As you had to wear glasses at a similar age, I expect this is his issue.

But his vision when checked was better than 20/20 that's what I don't get!

He does have blepharitis if that could be relavent?!

Hope all goes well at your sons eye test
My son was getting headaches so we took him for an eye test all fine no issue. Year later his headaches were getting worse more like migraines. Went to optician and needed glasses, is now being tested 3monthly as his eyes are deteriorating and they are concerned at the speed considering the eye test a year before didn’t show anything. His dad had migraines as a child so we thought it was to do with that. They still happen but not nearly as often.

Try not to show your anxiety to your son, kids do pick up on these things if you’re asking him lots of questions and being a bit full on. Let the optician look and then go from there. It could be he just struggles to focus from one area to another but until you get an expert opinion wait and let your son be nothing will change between now and then. I’m sure all will be fine but do try and distract yourself in the meantime with something else if possible. Take care op, I know you must be beside yourself but you’ve made an appointment so see what they say.

I am very short sighted so it wouldn't be a shock if he was short sighted too. But he says he can read what's on the board fine from the back of the class so I'm not sure

Just because eyes were OK at one test doesn't mean they stay like that which is why they should get regular eye checks.

My ds was very slightly short sighted at his test last year but didn't get glasses. He has a test next week so I will see if it has worsened enough to need glasses now.

My child had a slight squint when they were about 10 years old. It was barely noticeable but she would get double vision sometimes with it when she was tired - when she blinked it went away. She was referred to an eye hospital and had eye exercises to do for a few months and it sorted it out -no problems since.

Surely if it was a brain tumour we would have seen other symptoms/worsening of symptoms in 4 years?!

Lazy eyes don't necessarily look lazy.

But it's not a big problem.

I developed double vision a couple of years ago. It's worse when I'm fatigued and it often does disappear for a bit when I blink. In my case, my eye muscles don't coordinate with each other, so both are lazy.

The optician has a test for it, and just adds a prism to the prescription so that images overlap on the retina.

And my dd is long sighted just to mix things up!

She got glasses at 18 months old and still has them now age 17