Why vision is
important:
The Vision
Council: "It may be common sense that poor
vision interferes with a child's ability to learn. But what is lesser known is
that vision problems are the fourth most prevalent class of disability in the
United States and one of the most prevalent conditions in childhood. This is an
extremely important statistic considering that 80 percent of what children
learn comes through their visual processing of information and that many
children – nearly two in three according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention – enter school without ever having had a vision
screening." (thevisioncouncil.org)
(college of
optometrists in vision development)
Vision and
seeing is our dominant sense and primary source for gather information in
learning. In fact, research has shown
that 80% of learning occurs through vision.
Vision problems can have a profound effect on how we learn. Many children may experience academic
difficulty because of visual dysfunction in
addition to their primary reading or learning dysfunction.
Basically, if
the eyes are not working properly, your child may struggle with the following:
◦ Slow Reader
◦ Poor Handwriting
◦ Uses Finger to Read
◦ Covers One Eye to Read
◦ Does Not Enjoy Reading/School
◦ Complains of Headaches or Double Vision
Vision
does not just effect academic learning.
It has an impact on all aspects of human life. Most people don’t realize that you need 17
visual skills to succeed in reading, learning, sports, and in life. Seeing
‘20/20’ is just one of those visual skills. Here is the complete list:
◦
Eye Movement Control
◦
Simultaneous Focus at Far
◦
Sustaining Focus at Far
◦
Simultaneous Focus at Near
◦
Sustaining Focus at Near
◦
Simultaneous Alignment at Far
◦
Sustaining Alignment at Far
◦
Simultaneous Alignment at Near
◦
Sustaining Alignment at Near
◦
Central Vision (Visual Acuity)
◦
Peripheral Vision
◦
Depth Awareness
◦
Color Perception
◦
Gross Visual-Motor
◦
Fine Visual-Motor
◦
Visual Perception
◦
Visual Integration
But let’s get
back to the kids…Many children have UNDETECTED visual problems that interfere with their ability to learn. Bright, intelligent children, who may be
mistakenly labeled as lazy, learning disabled, or slow, may actually have
learning-related vision problems.
Behavior problems may also develop secondary to the child/student
feeling frustrated and wanting to perform well.
EVEN CHILDREN WITH 20/20 EYESIGHT CAN HAVE THESE PROBLEMS. The vision problems are caused by the
inability of the brain to adequately process the visual information that the
eyes are sending to it. The traditional 20/20 acuity test only evaluates
distance vision and cannot detect learning‐related vision problems.
So what should
you look for in your child….
What to look
for in your child:
Before we look
for an issue, it is important to understand what is normal development. So what does normal development of vision
look like?
Below is the expected
visual performance for different ages.
Birth to 6 weeks of age:
· Stares
at surroundings when awake
· Momentarily
holds gaze on bright light or bright objects
· Blinks
at camera flash
· Eyes
and head move together
· One
eye may seem turned in at times
8 weeks to 24 weeks:
· Eyes
begin to move more widely with less head movement
· Eyes
begin to follow moving objects or people (8-12 weeks)
· Watches
parents’ faces when being talked to (10-12 weeks)
· Begins
to watch own hands (12-16 weeks)
· Eyes
moving in active inspection of surroundings (18-20 weeks)
· While
sitting, looks at hands, food, bottle (18-24 weeks)
· Now
looking for, and watching, more distant objects (20-28 weeks)
30 weeks to 48 weeks
· May
turn eyes inward while inspecting hands or toys (28-32 weeks)
· Eyes
more mobile and move with little head movement (30-36 weeks)
· Watches
activities around him or her for longer periods of time (30-36 weeks)
· Looks
for toy he or she has dropped (32-38 weeks)
· Visually
inspects toys he or she can hold (38-40 weeks)
· Creeps
after favorite toy when seen (40-44 weeks)
· Sweeps
eyes around room to see what is happening (44-48 weeks)
· Visually
responds to smiles and voices of others (40-48 weeks)
· More
and more visual inspection of objects and persons (46-52 weeks)
12 Months to 18 Months
· Now
using both hands and visually steering hand activity (12-14 months)
· Visually
interested in simple pictures (14-16 months)
· Often
holds objects very close to eyes to inspect (14-18 months)
· Points
to objects or people using words “look” or “see” (14-18 months)
· Looks
for and identifies pictures in books (16-18 months)
24 months to 36 months
· Occasionally
visually inspects without needing to touch (20-24 months)
· Smiles,
facial brightening when views favorite objects and people (20-24 months)
· Likes
to watch movement of wheels, egg beaters, etc. (24-28 months)
· Watches
own hand while scribbling (26-30 months)
· Visually
explores and steers own walking and climbing (30-36 months)
· Watches
and imitates other children (30-36 months)
· Can
now begin to keep coloring on the paper (34-38 months)
· “Reads”
pictures in books (34-38 months)
40 Months to 48 Months
· Brings
head and eyes close to page of book while inspecting (40-44 months)
· Draws
and names circle and cross on paper (40-44 months)
· Can
close eyes on request, and may be able to wink one eye (46-50 months)
4 years to 5 years
· Uses
eyes and hands together well and with increasing skill
· Moves
and rolls eyes in an expressive way
· Draws
and names pictures
· Colors
within lines
· Cuts
and pastes quite well on simple pictures
· Copies
simple forms and some letters
· Can
place small objects in small openings
· Passes
all the milestones described on preceding pages
· Visually
alert and observant of surroundings
· Tells
about places, objects or people seen elsewhere
· Shows
increasing visual interest in new objects and places
·
Remember, the ages shown here are
approximate. However, if a child does fall behind the scale by more than 4 to 6
weeks from age 2 to age 5, or more than 6 weeks from age 2 to age 5, consider
scheduling a functional vision exam.
Below are some
signs, symptoms and behaviors associated with learning disabilities more often
caused by vision problems. This is not a
complete list, and not all the signs, symptoms and behaviors are indicative of
a problem by themselves. It is important to request a
comprehensive vision examination for your child, if you have any concerns. For more specific symptom/problem list, click here.
Physical signs or symptoms of a vision problem
◦
Frequent headaches or eye strain
◦
Blurring of distance or near vision, particularly after reading
or other close work
◦
Avoidance of close work or other visually demanding tasks
◦
Poor judgment of depth
◦
Turning of an eye in or out, up or down
◦
Tendency to cover or close one eye, or favor the vision in one
eye
◦
Double vision
◦
Poor hand-eye coordination
◦
Difficulty following a moving target
◦
Dizziness or motion sickness
Performance problems
◦
Poor reading comprehension
◦
Difficulty copying from one place to another
◦
Loss of place, repetition, and/or omission of words while
reading
◦
Difficulty changing focus from distance to near and back
◦
Poor posture when reading or writing
◦
Poor handwriting
◦
Can respond orally but can't get the same information down on
paper
◦
Letter and word reversals
◦
Difficulty judging sizes and shapes
TEACHERS:
What you can look for?
Identifying a vision
problem can help impact a student’s ability to learn. As a teacher, you are in a position to
observe a child in situations in which visual skills are incredibly important
and often challenged. Reading, writing, and processing visual information all
require the entire visual system to be working well.
How to spot a child with vision problems?
Download the
Vision and Learning Guide – This guide has invaluable information
about vision, learning, and how to help children in the classroom.
Writing samples of students with vision problems
*From the Vision and Learning Guide
Facts and
Figures:
·
The
National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) estimates that there are 10 million
children under 10 years of age in the U.S. that have vision problems.1
·
Up
to 25% off all school age children have vision problems significant enough to
impair academic performance. The rate may be as high as 60% for those children
labeled as having earning problems.2
·
An
evaluation of the visual efficiency of beginning readers in a public school
found that visual factors were the primary cause of reading failure and that
most current school screenings are inadequate to detect these problems.3
·
A
study of inner city youths found that poor vision is related to academic and behavioral
problems among at-risk children.4
·
Vision
problems are often typically misdiagnosed as learning disabilities or ADD/ADHD leading
to special education intervention and unnecessary drug treatment of school
children.
·
The
20/20 eye chart test (invented in the 1860s) only measures what you can see far
away, not the “up-close” ability to see books or computers, nor the ability of
the eyes and brain to work together in processing visual information.
·
Thorough
vision examinations measure eye teaming (how the eyes work together), focusing (ease
in sustaining focus for up-close work), and tracking skills (how accurately and
smoothly eyes move together across a page of print) as well as visual
information processing abilities.
·
Developmental
Optometrists can provide vision examinations that fully assess these vision problems.
These doctors are trained in evaluation of learning-related vision problems and
treatment using special glasses and vision therapy.
·
Studies
have shown that the correction of vision problems with vision therapy leads to significant
reduction in visual symptoms and improvements in reading performance.5, 6, 7
References:
1. National
Parent Teacher Association
2. American
Foundation for Vision Awareness
3. Optometry
& Vision Development
4. Journal of
Behavioral Optometry
5. Binocular
Vision & Eye Muscle Surgery Quarterly
6. Optometry
and Vision Science
7. Optometry:
Journal of the American Optometric Association
Comprehensive
exam: (COVD)
The
following tests should be included in a comprehensive vision exam:
◦
A thorough patient history, including general health and
developmental history.
◦
A measurement of how clearly the patient can see in the distance
and up close (visual acuity, e.g. 20/20)
◦
A measurement of the presence of any refractive errors (nearsightedness,
farsightedness, or astigmatism)
◦
An assessment of eye focusing, eye teaming, and eye movement
abilities (accommodation, binocular vision, ocular motility – how do the eyes
work as a team?)
◦
An examination of the health of the eyes
If
you have ANY concerns about your child’s vision, please contact your physician
and request a more comprehensive exam with a developmental optometrist.
Locate
a doctor:
|
The following is a list of links to organizations that will give you free access to referral databases to find an optometrist who specializes in children near you: Please note: Each organization only lists its own members in their
database. It is suggested you use more than one link to find doctors in your area.
This organization serves as the certifying body for
Doctors in the Optometric specialty called Behavioral/Developmental/Rehabilitative
Optometry. If a doctor chooses, he/she may apply for COVD fellowship.
Fellowship is difficult to obtain and is only granted after interviews,
publishing and knowledge testing is completed and accepted by a committee.
Fellows are certified specialists in vision therapy.
The OEP Foundation is an international non-profit
organization that serves the educational needs of behavioral optometrists by
providing continuing education credits and provides public information about
vision care. The optometrists listed on the Referral List practice preventive
and rehabilitative optometry.
PAVE is a national non-profit education, resource and
support organization founded by parents and teachers who know children that
benefited from vision therapy. Their mission is to raise public awareness of
the crucial relationship between vision and achievement. This link gives
phone numbers to local chapters that may be near you. They also have a
national number listed in case a chapter is not in your area. If you want to
speak to someone to find out more information, as well as get a referral,
then contact PAVE.
An organization made up of behavioral optometrists around
the globe to better educate the public on vision care. This referral program
requires that you answer some questions to best choose the doctor that suits
your needs and to help create a database to better serve the public. It is
made up of doctors that offer vision therapy who have paid a subscription fee
to set up webpages on this site.
NORA was established to provide, network and share
information about visual rehabilitation between optometrists,
ophthalmologists, physicians, rehabilitation professionals, occupational
therapists, educators, psychologists, nurses, etc. for the understanding and
treatment of persons who have physical disabilities and/or traumatic brain
injury. Their mission is to expand awareness about the visual problems and
the needs of those that suffer from traumatic brain injury.
This referral database is a little different than the ones
above. This site helps find neurorehabilitative optometrists that specialize
in traumatic brain injury. Many of them have vision therapy practices and may
also diagnose and treat children with learning related.
The American Optometric Association is the premier
authority in the optometric profession. With more than 35,000 members in
6,500 U.S. communities, the AOA leads the way in its mission of improving the
quality and availability of eye and vision care everywhere. Members of the
AOA will not necessarily be specialists in pediatrics, vision therapy, vision
development, aquired brain injury, vision related learning problems, or
sports vision. Look carefully for a doctor that does have experience in these
specialty areas.
The links on this web site are provided
only for your convenience to provide more information on vision. The author of this site has no financial interest in any site linked, nor claim
any responsibility for information found on these sites. No promises or
warranties of any kind as to the content of any site linked are expressed or
implied.
|
College of Optometrists in Vision Development http://www.covd.org
Children's Vision Information Network http://www.childrensvision.com/OD.htm
There Vision Therapy Center (Vision and Learning Guide) http://info.thevisiontherapycenter.com/Portals/91892/docs/Teacher-Parent-Vision-and-Learning-Guide-6-21-2010.pdf
Scheiman,
M. Understanding and Managing Vision Deficits: A Guide for Occupational
Therapists. Thorofare, NJ: SLACK Incorporated, 1997.
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