Mitigating Learning-Related Vision Problems

If your child is struggling in school, it could be because of a vision problem. At Summerville Pediatric Eyecare, we can help your child improve their vision, thereby improving their chance of success in school.

It is important to remember that 80% of what children learn is acquired through their visual process so, if they are struggling to see clearly, it can significantly affect how they learn.

Comprehensive eye exams are the first step in identifying vision problems as well as any underlying health concerns, but further evaluation may be required to help your child succeed. We offer reading evaluations along with vision therapy equipment to help mitigate vision problems and promote good study habits.

Symptoms of Learning-Related Vision Problems

Although most symptoms will be detected during a comprehensive eye exam, knowing what symptoms to look for can give you a head start when it comes to managing your child’s learning-related vision problems.

Refractive Errors

If your child has a refractive error, they will have trouble seeing objects up close or far away. They may complain that they have blurred vision, or they may rub their eyes and squint frequently.

Eye Coordination Problems

Eye coordination problems make it difficult for your child to use their eyes in tandem. They may close or cover one eye or complain of double vision. They may also rub their eyes and have trouble reading.

Eye Focusing Problems

Your child may have trouble focusing their eyes or maintaining focus if they hold things very close, complain of blurred vision, and rub their eyes. They may also say that their eyes are tired and experience headaches when reading.

Eye Tracking Problems

If your child struggles to move their eyes smoothly from one point to another, they may have eye-tracking problems. They may move their head excessively and frequently lose their place or skip lines when reading. They may also need to use their finger to keep their place and have a short attention span.

Visual Form Perception

Faulty visual form perception is when your child cannot make out differences in size, shape, or form. In this case, they may confuse words with similar beginnings and have difficulty recognizing letters, words, or shapes. They may also experience trouble with math concepts surrounding size, magnitude, and position.

Visual Memory

Visual memory is the ability to understand and remember what is seen. Your child may struggle with visual memory if they have poor reading comprehension and recall of visually presented material. They may also have trouble with spelling and math.

Visual-Motor Integration

Your child may experience troubles with visual-motor integration if they cannot reproduce visual images through writing and drawing. This may manifest in sloppy handwriting or drawing and poor copying skills. They may also struggle with staying on/in the lines when writing or coloring, and have a hard time responding in writing.

Laterality & Directionality

If your child has a hard time learning left and right, they may be having difficulty with laterality and directionality. They may reverse letters and words or have trouble writing and remembering letters and numbers.

If you suspect your child may have a learning-related vision problem, please book an appointment at your earliest convenience.

Evaluation

If you suspect that your child may be grappling with a learning difficulty stemming from vision problems, we will perform a standardized comprehensive assessment of their visual analysis and processing skills.

The test assesses your child’s ability to read, comprehend, and process information. We will evaluate your child’s visual and sequential memory, spatial relationships, visual discrimination, among other things.

We also use specialized equipment from RightEye to evaluate reading fluency and muscle movement. We may recommend vision therapy to help your child strengthen their ocular muscles and improve their vision.

If you are interested in scheduling a reading evaluation for your child, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.