Did you know that vision problems in children are often misdiagnosed as learning or attention disabilities?
Vision isn’t just seeing 20/20, our eyes need to work together as a team so we can see clearly and accurately.
Side effects of vision problems:
If our eyes are not working together this can cause blurred vision, double vision, halo effect, words jumping or moving on the page causing them to look away, losing focus or some not wanting to complete the task. Many children don’t realize what they are seeing is a problem often thinking this is what everyone else sees.
Some signs to look for:
- Increased head ache
- Avoiding all reading actives
- Tilting head when reading
- Blinking a lot
- Feeling tired shortly after starting to read
- Cover or closing one eye
- Poor memory or recall of what was just read
- Loss place often
If you or you child is experiencing any of this symptoms a vision assessment and vision therapy may be needed.
Some helpful tips:
- Bright light isn’t always best some times dimmer lighting is more comfortable pin the eyes.
- Consider using different colored paper or sheer overlays.
- Natural lighting, fluorescent lighting can be hard in the eyes.
- Take frequent rest breaks.
Helpful links:
https://www.allaboutvision.com/parents/vision_therapy.htm
Written by: Sheri Nowicki, BA, COTAL
