What are causes of blurred vision in a child?

[Katy1962]

My 11 year old daughter keeps complaining of blurred vision, occasionally when reading and continually for objects far away. Her Optometrist cannot correct it with glasses, and her pediatric opthamologist said her eyes look totally healthy through the various tests he ran. (The last test he said would be an MRI which we have not done.) He suggested that there is not physical reason for her blurriness, that perhaps it was her body's reaction to stress, search for attention, reaction to being bullied, etc. He thought the "power of suggestion" might cure the problem, (if we tell her her eyes are getting better, they will.) He says this is very common in girls in her age range. However, this is just totally out of character for my daughter. I cannot reconcile that with her personality or behaviors. Someone suggested that perhaps the blurred vision was a symptom of diabetes, but she has not exhibited excessive thirst, urination or anything else traditionally associated with diabetes. Do we just let this go, and check back on it in a couple of months as the Opthamologist suggested? Help!

[Sandra M Brown, MD]

In my (extensive) experience, the number 1 cause for mysteriously blurred vision in one eye in a female child this age is "making it up".  And I cannot tell you how many times I have been assured that this would be totally out of character for the child.  Also, the types of "out of focus" problems that affect children do not cause constant blurred distance vision and occasional blurred near vision...but she doesn't know that.

Recently I have found one other cause for this type of complaint, which is too much phone texting combined with computer time.  Hopefully a child her age neither has a cell phone nor plays on the phones of other children.  But if so, immediately eliminate her texting ability.  Limit her computer time to "homework projects only".  TV or videos or games not more than 30 minutes per day total.

She has already had an evaluation by a pediatric ophthalmologist.  I would let it rest.  Based on your information, I see no need for an MRI (which is a suggestion of desperation typically made to soothe the parents, not treat the child).

[Katy1962]

Thanks for your input.  She does not have a cell phone, and only uses the computer for homework at this point. I am also assuming that the presence of any diabetic eye symptom would have been detected by her opthamologist. We will be keeping an "eye" on the situation!

[Sandra M Brown, MD]

In a child you don't get diabetic eye symptoms without rip-roaring diabetes.  These symptoms also do not affect only one eye.  Do NOT ask her about her vision.  If she makes noises to her teacher, advise the teacher to "play it low key" and not to make any accommodations to the complaints.