Worried that your preschooler isn’t learning at the same pace as her peers? Perhaps a vision test is in order. Check out the results of this “eye-opening” study:

Preschoolers with poor vision have lower scores in developmental testing indicative of success in school performance, but those scores improve significantly within six weeks when the children are given prescription glasses, according to a new study by the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. The study appears in the February issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

“Amazingly, this is the first controlled study of preschool children to show the cognitive disadvantage preschool children have when they are far sighted and/or have astigmatism, as well as to show the benefit of early intervention with glasses,” said study co-author Barbara Brody, M.P.H., director of the Center for Community Ophthalmology at the UC San Diego Shiley Eye Center, and clinical professor in the Departments of Ophthalmology and Community and Preventive Medicine.

Here are some warning signs that your preschooler may have a vision problem, courtesy of AllAboutVision.com:

• Consistently sitting too close to the TV or holding a book too close
• Squinting
• Tilting the head to see better
• Frequent eye rubbing when your child is not sleepy
• Sensitivity to light
• Excessive tearing
• Closing one eye to read, watch TV or see better
• Avoiding activities which require near vision, such as coloring or reading, or distance vision, such as playing ball or tag
• Complaining of headaches or tired eyes

Whether you notice these signs or not (what kid doesn’t sit too close to the TV?), it might be a good idea to get your little one’s precious peepers checked out to address any possible vision problems ASAP anyway. Guess I should make an appointment, huh?

How old was your child when he or she first had an eye check-up?

I had a real long week (the plight of the working mom, I guess), and found myself rubbing my eyes just a few minutes ago. But, hey, it got me to remembering how J.J. used to do that as an infant and inspired me to blog about a common baby eye issue.

From about 2 months old to about 14 months, he constantly seemed to have yucky mucus blobs in the corner of his eyes or constant tearing, and so he’d rub them. His pediatrician diagnosed him with blocked tear ducts. Here’s why you might want to keep reading — it’s estimated that about 1/3 of newborns are born with this condition (although sometimes symptoms aren’t visible). The good news is that more than 90 percent of cases simply go away by age one.

To treat J.J., I had to massage the corner of his eye in a specific up-and-down motion a few times a day and place a warm compress over his lids. After about a week of this, it would clear up. When it did come back (usually after he’d had a cold), I’d repeat the process.

For more severe cases (like when eyes become swollen, inflamed, or have chronic infections), eye drops and antibiotic medicines can be prescribed. As a last resort, a small probe or surgical drainage by a pediatric ophthalmologist after age one may be necessary.

Consider your baby eye-Q improved (wink, wink)!