According to the American Public Health Association, 25% of students in grades K-6 have visual problems that are serious enough to hinder learning.

How can you tell if your child’s ability to learn is being affected by a vision problem? If you check off several items on the following checklist, consider taking your child for a thorough vision examination.

  • Turns or tilts head to see
  • Head is frequently tilted to one side or one shoulder is noticeably higher
  • Squinting or closing of one eye or excessive blinking
  • Poor visual/motor skills (often called hand-eye coordination) or frequently bumps into things or drops things
  • Becomes easily confused when in motion
  • Frequently loses things
  • Has been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD or dyslexia

While reading or doing close work your child:

  • Holds the reading material or object too close
  • Closes one eye or covers eye with hand or twists or tilts head
  • Frequently loses place and/or skips or repeats lines
  • Fatigues easily and/or becomes drowsy
  • Uses finger to read
  • Rubs eyes during or after periods of reading
  • Reports that words move or run together
  • Exhibits avoidance behaviors

Child reports:

  • Headaches or eyestrain
  • Nausea or dizziness
  • Motion sickness or car sickness
  • Double Vision

If your child reports seeing double, please take your child for a binocular vision evaluation immediately.

Early detection of problems greatly increases the chances of successful rehabilitation. Testing of binocular teaming skills should be a part of every child’s comprehensive eye examination.

Contact Us today to setup an comprehensive eye examination for your child.

 

How Vision Problems Can Interfere With Learning by Dr. Mary Gregory