When a child complains of frequent headaches, many pediatricians
order an eye exam. “In some pediatric ophthalmology practices,
it’s a daily occurrence," said Dr. Zachary Roth, a resident at
Albany Medical Center in New York. Often, a child may experience
headaches while reading or doing schoolwork, leading parents to
think the child needs glasses. But are eye problems really a
cause of childhood headaches? In a recent study, Roth and his
colleagues examined 158 children under age 18 who were referred
to ophthalmologists for frequent headaches. Then, they evaluated
the children’s medical records and looked at the results of
earlier vision exams. Ultimately, the researchers could not find
any significant link between headaches and diagnoses of vision
problems. In three-quarters of the subjects, the headaches went
away over time, both in those who received new glasses and those
who did not.