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There’s More To Child Learning Than Just 20/20 Vision

Even if a child has "20/20" eyesight, they might still encounter vision issues that could hinder their learning and academic performance. Visual acuity, which is the ability to clearly see a wall chart, is only one aspect of overall good vision. Other important visual factors can impact a child's educational experience. For example, a child who is nearsighted may read well up close, but struggle with seeing the teacher's board at a distance. This indicates that good performance in school does not necessarily mean a child has no vision problems. It's important to recognize that various aspects of vision can affect a child's learning, beyond just how clearly they can see from a distance.

Questions Related to Eyesight and Learning

Eye movement skills: Do your child's eyes move across the page in a book smoothly and accurately?

Eye focusing abilities: Does your child change focus from near to far and back again - between reading text from a far-away white or blackboard and writing on paper?

Eye teaming skills: Are your child’s eyes working together as a focus unit - do they come together for proper eye alignment for reading?

Binocular vision skills:  Are your child’s eyes blending visual images from both eyes into a single, three-dimensional image?

Visual perceptual skills:  Can your child recognize and comprehend what they see, relating it to its significance and linking it with previously memorized visual information?

Visual-motor integration:  Is the quality of your child’s eye-hand coordination balanced?  Visual-motor integration is important for legible handwriting, the ability to efficiently copy written information from a book or board, and sports. Deficiencies in any of these can hinder a child’s learning ability and/or school performance.

Vision Problems Do Affect Kids Learning

Undetected learning-related vision problems in children are common.  A child with an untreated vision problem may be misdiagnosed with behavior problems or ADHD/ADD when, in reality, they have a vision problem. Vision problems, in extreme cases ignored or misdiagnosed, can become the true root cause of a child becoming the victim or aggressor in a school bullying tragedy.

Left untreated, vision problems will hinder your child's learning in school. Studies have shown that at least 13% of children between the ages of nine and thirteen suffer from moderate to severe convergence insufficiency, the ability to bring one's eyes together, which is crucial for good reading. Studies demonstrate that 1 out of 4 school-age children suffer from at least one learning related vision problem.

Learning-Related Vision Problems

Signs and Symptoms

Some of the most common roadmap symptoms of learning-related vision disorders are:

  • Double vision, particularly during or after reading
  • Poor handwriting
  • Hyperactivity or recklessness during class
  • Word and letter reversals
  • Easily distracted during reading
  • Poor reading comprehension
  • Poor overall school performance
  • Circumventing of reading
  • Blurred vision, especially after reading or working closely
  • Eye Strain or frequent headaches

Call our Lewisville optometrist to schedule a comprehensive child’s vision exam if your child exhibits one or more of these signs or symptoms and is exhibiting these problems in school.

Comprehensive Child Vision Exam

A comprehensive child's vision exam includes tests performed in a routine eye exam, plus specific additional tests for detecting learning-related vision problems.

Extra tests would include accommodation, binocular vision, and ocular motility testing. In addition, depending on the type of problems your child is displaying, we may recommend another testing, either in our office or with a child’s vision and/or vision development specialist.

Vision Therapy

Special reading glasses or vision therapy may help your child if s/he has a learning-related vision problem that cannot be corrected with regular glasses or contact lenses. Vision therapy entails eye exercises and other activities tailored to improve vision skills for each patient.

Learning Disabilities and Vision

Although children with learning disabilities may also have vision problems contributing to their difficulties in the classroom, vision therapy is a treatment for vision problems; it does not correct a learning disability. A child's learning ability and school performance may indicate learning disabilities and/or vision problems.

Once your child’s comprehensive vision exam is completed, our Lewisville eye doctor will advise you about the usefulness of a vision therapy program. We will refer you to a children's vision or education/learning specialist if we do not provide any additional services your child needs.

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