Learning Difficulties? Have Your Child’s Vision Checked
Make sure your child’s eyes are in tip-top shape for reading and learning by scheduling an annual comprehensive eye exam.
August is Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, and a great time to focus on your child’s vision–especially with the transition back to doing school work.
Because vision and learning are so intimately connected, vision problems can easily be mistaken for learning problems. Correctable vision issues are often misdiagnosed as learning disabilities, ADHD, or dyslexia. As many as 40% of all children with learning disabilities have vision problems that are misdiagnosed. Only a complete eye exam done by an optometrist can truly diagnose a vision-related learning issue.
Glasses are helpful for some vision problems, but vision is more than seeing 20/20. Learning to read involves accurate eye movements, focusing, and binocularity. As a result, learning is difficult if any of these systems are not functioning at an optimum level. But the good news is that vision therapy can help correct vision systems to improve visual function.
Vision-related learning problems are often not identified right away, and the person who is suffering from them might not even know. Signs and symptoms can include skipping or re-reading of lines, using a finger while reading, closing or covering an eye, double-vision, and avoiding close-up work. This list is not comprehensive, and children will have the best chance of learning success when their families schedule regular eye exams with an optometrist to diagnose and treat any vision or other ocular health concerns.
Make sure your child’s eyes are in tip-top shape for reading and learning by scheduling an annual comprehensive eye exam at the Midwestern University Eye Institute before any issues occur.
Call the Eye Institute in Downers Grove, Illinois at 630-743-4500 or in Glendale, Arizona at 623-537-6000.
The information contained in this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, care, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for questions regarding any possible medical condition.
Dr. Alicia Feis, O.D., FAAO, is Dean of the Arizona College of Optometry in Glendale, Arizona. At the Midwestern University Eye Institute, faculty optometrists and students utilize the latest technology and research to evaluate and treat a wide range of vision and ocular health concerns for both children and adults, at affordable prices.
