As the school year comes to an end, you may have noticed a child who is smart in everything except school. This child may have a learning-related vision problem. 80% of what your child is taught in school is presented to them visually. So, there is no question that good vision is important for learning.
If your child is having any symptoms such as those below, it may be due to problems that can be corrected if detected early. A binocular vision and perceptual eye examination can diagnose many visual problems children have. Does your child:
Lose concentration when reading Have difficulty remembering what they just read Have blurry or double vision
Have poor hand-writing
Write letters backwards Have a hyperactive behavior or cannot focus when doing homework (ADD or ADHD)
Skips over or repeat words when reading
Loses place and uses finger to read
Perform poorly in school
Having 20/20 eyesight is important, but it is not enough. Good eye movement skills, focusing abilities, hand-eye coordination, good eye teaming skills, and good concentration skills are critically necessary for learning. Many kids have undetected learning-related vision problems. They do not know how to describe what is going on with their eyes and hence their performance in school suffers. Teachers also do not recognize that the function of a child’s eyes could be a contributor to poor performance in school.
If you are a parents or teacher, take the initiative to notice if a child is struggling with any of the problems mentioned. Listen to them read; watch their behavior when they read and write (see if they hold books too close, or if they skip words when they read). If you suspect there may be problems, have a binocular vision and perceptual eye examination immediately.
Give the child the help they need before the school year is over. It could help them pull their grades up significantly. I am Board Certified as a specialist in Behavioral Optometry/ Vision Therapy to help detect and manage learning related vision problems. I invite you to visit EnVision Eye Care for your child’s learning related eye care needs.
321 W. Montgomery Crossroads, Savannah
(near Hunter Golf Course and VA Medical Clinic). For appointments, call (912)
927-0707 and visit us at www.envisionsavannah.com