Spotting Hidden Vision Problems
Do you have a child with an undetected vision problem ? Experts estimate that up to 25 % of school-age children have vision problems significant enough to interfere with learning . Among children with learning disabilities , that number may jump to 60 %. Yet many of these same children easily pass their annual vision screenings and eye exams . How is this possible ? Eye exams evaluate the ability to be able to see letters on the 20 / 20 line of a chart placed 20 feet away . But vision is much more than this one aspect of eyesight .
A child ’ s ability to perform visual tasks such as reading and athletics depends on the ability to synchronize thinking and seeing . If visual skills such as aiming , turning the eyes as a team , following moving objects , focusing , depth perception , and other abilities are inefficient or poorly integrated , the child will be unable to cope with the demands of school and / or sports .
When a child ’ s attention is spread between trying to make the visual system work and trying to understand the material , one or both tasks suffer . With an inefficient visual system , a child works harder to gain meaning from what he is trying to see or understand .
Vision problems can be divided into three categories :
1 . Refractive errors include nearsightedness , farsightedness , and astigmatism .
2 . Visual processing disorders include poorly developed left / right awareness , faulty visual memory , imperfect visual form perception , inadequate eye / hand coordination , and tunnel vision . Common signs include letter reversals , difficulty learning the alphabet , poor spelling , and sloppy handwriting .
3 . Visual efficiency disorders include eye teaming ( binocular vision ) problems , focusing disorders , and tracking disorders . Common signs include closing or covering one eye , loss of place , headaches , rubbing eyes , poor reading comprehension , and short attention span .
Refractive errors are easily detected during routine eye exams , but visual processing and visual efficiency disorders are not . Thorough testing in the form of a Neuro-Visual Evaluation is necessary to detect these issues .
Since nearly 80 % of what a child perceives , comprehends , and remembers depends on the competence of the visual system , an undetected vision problem may have a serious impact on academic or athletic performance . Neuro-visual testing and not just a routine eye exam is the gold standard to determine if a vision problem exists that could be hindering school performance .