Your child closes or covers one eye

Have you noticed that your child closes an eye or tends to cover it with their hand when he observes an object or watches television, for example? It can be the sign of an eye disease. Indeed, in the case of diplopia (double vision) or strabismus, it is not uncommon for the child to obstruct his vision to try to see more clearly.

Diplopia and strabismus

A child may close or cover one eye to avoid diplopia, that is, double vision. In cases of binocular diplopia, the cause of the disease is often strabismus, which may or may not be visible. This means that the child has an eye deviation. 

He will then get into the habit of closing one of the two eyes to regain clear vision. Indeed, binocular diplopia only occurs when both eyes are open, since it is caused by a lack of parallel axes between the eyes.

What should I do if my child closes or covers one eye?

If you notice this symptom, we advise you to bring your child to an ophthalmologist. It is important to treat diplopia quickly, because without adequate treatment, this pathology can lead to long-term amblyopia. The brain then ignores double vision and develops monocular vision, which causes poor vision.

The specialist can then carry out an ophthalmological examination, or even orthoptic tests. Sometimes, additional examinations are necessary to understand the origin of these symptoms.