Should I have my child’s vision assessed? How does it impact development?

Like it or not, vision problems greatly interfere with the process of learning! The following information is taken from our trusted colleagues at Walesby Vision Center.

“Most of us think if we can see clearly or have 20/20 vision, then all is well with our visual system.  The ability to see clearly (sight) is simply the first step in sending the image to the brain for analysis. It must then be compared to previously stored information from our past experience to give meaning to what was seen (vision).  You can have excellent sight but if you are not able to accurately align and point each eye at the word and then focus the image clearly you will end up sending incorrect information to the brain making it difficult to process. This can affect your ability to read comfortably for long periods of time and can result in:

  • Poor word recognition, fluency and reading comprehension
  • Loss of place when reading or words moving on the page
  • Headaches/eyestrain
  • Distractibility/short attention span ADD/ADHD
  • Difficulty completing assignments in allotted time.
  • Poor sports performance

We are not born with visual skills rather they are learned and developed as we grow from infancy to adolescence.  Babies tend to put everything in their mouth since their visual skills cannot tell them what the object is.  One in four of us will fail to develop efficient skills and struggle with learning to various degrees.  Fortunately, since these skills are learned, we can be taught how to control our eyes accurately to acquire and process visual information.  Glasses may help but may not solve the problem.  Optometric Vision Therapy can address the deficient visual skills and teach the brain how to control the eyes to accurately acquire and process visual information.  The result is a significant improvement in performance and reduction in time necessary to perform the tasks.  The quality of life of the struggling student and those involved in assisting them is dramatically improved and they are better able to achieve their full potential.”

Visual deficits are often misdiagnosed as ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia, Specific Learning Disability (SLD) and much more!

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