Gloucestershire Children Go Back To School With No Hope Of Reaching Their Potential
Local Behavioural Optometrist, Keith Holland warns that children have gone back to school with undetected vision problems that could be mistaken for learning difficulties. He also emphasises that regular eye tests may not detect a vision problem that is affecting learning.
Parents and teachers often incorrectly assume that if a child can read the small letters on a sight testing chart, then there is no vision problem. In reality, the vision skills needed for reading and learning are much more complex. A Behavioural Optometrist knows that consideration must be given to all the visual, visual motor and visual perceptual skills that need to be developed in order to prevent vision and eye problems.
Keith Holland explains the importance of detecting a vision problem: “Seeing is our primary source for gathering information in learning. Therefore, vision problems can have a profound effect on how we learn, read or sustain close work. As vision and learning are intimately connected, a vision problem can be easily mistaken for a learning problem. Children with undiagnosed visual problems can be diagnosed as having Learning Disabilities, ADHD, Dyspraxia or Dyslexia.”
Vision related learning difficulties not only affect children learning to read. A child might manage to learn to read, but struggle as they reach senior school when the work becomes harder. Children do not ‘grow out’ of vision related learning difficulties; many adults find that they have problems when working, particularly with office and computer work.
Once a vision problem has been detected a Behavioural Optometrist may prescribe lenses or prisms. They may also prescribe a programme of Optometric Vision Therapy to enhance and develop visual skills.
Here is a list of common signs or symptoms of vision related learning problems:
Frequent headaches or eye strain
Blurring of distance or near vision, particularly after reading or other close work
Avoidance of close work and 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
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
