School Age Vision
A child needs many abilities to succeed in school. Good vision is a key.
It has been estimated that as much as 80% of the learning a child does occurs through his or her eyes. Reading, writing, smartboard work, and using computers are among the visual tasks students perform daily. A child’s eyes are constantly in use in the classroom and at play. When his or her vision is not functioning properly, education and participation in sports can suffer.
As children progress in school, they face more demands on their visual abilities. The size of print in schoolbooks becomes smaller and the amount of time spent reading and studying increases. When certain visual skills have not developed, or are poorly developed, learning is difficult and stressful, and children will typically:
- Avoid reading and other near visual work as much as possible.
- Attempt to do the work anyway, but with a lowered level of comprehension or efficiency.
- Experience discomfort, fatigue and a short attention span.
- Some children with learning difficulties exhibit behaviors of hyperactivity and distractibility. These children are often labeled as having “Attention Deficit
- Hyperactivity Disorder” (ADHD). However, undetected and untreated vision problems can elicit some of the very same symptoms commonly attributed to ADHD.
Because vision may change frequently during the school years, regular eye and vision care is important. The most common vision problem is nearsightedness or myopia. However, some children have other forms of refractive error like farsightedness and astigmatism. In addition, the existence of eye focusing, eye tracking and eye coordination problems may affect school and sports performance. Eyeglasses or contact lenses may provide the needed correction for many vision problems. However, a program of vision therapy may also be needed to enhance vision skills.
VISION SKILLS NEEDED FOR SCHOOL SUCCESS
Vision is more than just the ability to see clearly, or having 20/20 eyesight. It is also the ability to understand and respond to what is seen. Basic visual skills include the ability to focus the eyes, use both eyes together as a team, and move them effectively.
Other visual perceptual skills include:
RECOGNITION – the ability to tell the difference between letters like “b” and “d”,
COMPREHENSION – “picture” in our mind what is happening in a story we are reading
RETENTION – be able to remember and recall details of what we read
Every child needs to have the following vision skills for effective reading and learning:
- Visual acuity — the ability to see clearly in the distance for viewing the chalkboard, at an intermediate distance for the computer, and up close for reading a book.
- Eye Focusing — the ability to quickly and accurately maintain clear vision as the distance from objects change, such as when looking from the smartboard to paper on the desk and back.
- Eye tracking — the ability to keep the eyes on target when looking from one object to another, moving the eyes along a printed page, or following a moving object like a thrown ball.
- Eye teaming — the ability to coordinate and use both eyes together when moving the eyes along a printed page, and to be able to judge distances and see depth.
- Eye-hand coordination — the ability to use visual information to monitor and direct the hands when drawing a picture or trying to hit a ball.
- Visual perception — the ability to organize images on a printed page into letters, words and ideas and to understand and remember what is read.
If any of these visual skills are lacking or not functioning properly, a child will have to work harder. This can lead to headaches, fatigue and other eyestrain problems.
When is a Vision Exam Needed?
Your child should receive an eye examination at least once every two years-more frequently if specific problems or risk factors exist, or if recommended by your eye doctor.
Unfortunately, parents and educators often incorrectly assume that if a child passes a school screening, then there is no vision problem. However, many school vision screenings only test for distance visual acuity. A child who can see 20/20 can still have a vision problem. In reality, the vision skills needed for successful reading and learning are much more complex.
|Monday||8:00 am - 5:00 pm|
|Tuesday||9:15 am - 6:00 pm|
|Wednesday||8:00 am - 5:00 pm|
|Thursday||7:00 am - 6:00 pm|
|Friday||8:00 am - 5:00 pm|
|Saturday||9:00 am - 1:00 pm|
Cool Springs EyeCare
3252 Aspen Grove #1
Franklin, TN 37067-7216
United States of America
Phone: (615) 771-7555
Fax: (615) 771-7773
Our doctors are available 24 hours a day and for medical urgencies and emergencies. Please call the office at 771-7555.