It is estimated that about 80% of what we learn depends upon our visual processes; so it is important to help children acquire good vision. Without a properly functioning visual system, a child in a good school with good teachers cannot be expected to perform at or near their potential in the classroom, during sports or recreational activities.
School or Pediatric Screenings are not enough
In order to determine whether or not a child has good vision, a comprehensive vision examination is needed to determine whether or not (s)he is experiencing any of a number of vision problems. Remember, a cursory school or pediatric screening is usually simply a screening of far vision (distance visual acuity). Many children with 20/20 visual acuity have significant vision problems.
Here are the basic vision skills needed for school performance:
- Near Vision, or seeing clearly and comfortably at 10-13 inches
- Distance Vision, or seeing clearly and comfortably beyond arm’s reach
- Eye Movement Skills, including aiming eyes accurately, moving them across a page, and shifting them quickly and accurately from one place to another
- Focusing Skills, allowing one to keep both eyes accurately focused to see clearly and change focus quickly from near to far, far to near
- Peripheral Vision, being aware of things on the side while looking straight ahead
- Eye/Hand Coordination, allowing one to use the eyes and the hands together to perform tasks