5 MINUTE READ | August 17, 2023 | Eye Protection and Prevention

Vision and Learning: How Eyesight Impacts Academic Performance

vision and learning eyes and eye health

Once children start school, 25% will require corrective eyewear. As a result, you should start the new school year by prioritizing your child’s eyesight, as it’s an essential tool for learning. Set them on a path to success with back-to-school eye checkups.

Why are these back-to-school eye exams vital? Up to 80% of classroom learning necessitates good vision, and when kids can’t see well, they’re likely to lag. They might struggle to write, read the whiteboard, concentrate, and track moving images on a screen. Your child’s learning and behavior could be adversely affected if any of these visual skills are lacking.

Does Vision Impact Learning?

Vision absolutely impacts children’s learning development. Picture yourself back in elementary school. Your teacher wants you to read a task on the whiteboard and answer several questions. Most students encounter this, but what if you struggle to read the small print and can’t see or read the instructions on the screen or whiteboard? Your focus would slip away, right? This everyday reality strikes kids dealing with vision-related learning issues.

There is no doubt that focusing is crucial for success in school. Yet, children with vision issues can’t easily read small or distant text, leading to difficulties concentrating on schoolwork. Poor vision ultimately hinders a child’s ability to learn and thrive in an educational environment.

How Common Are Vision Issues in Children?

Children’s vision problems are more common than you might expect. A child’s eyes grow and reshape as they grow, and this can lead to rapid changes in their vision. A school-age child could have 20/20 vision at one point, then experience a substantial refractive error after a growth spurt in a short span of time.

Problems like farsightedness, nearsightedness, and astigmatism, have straightforward solutions. However, most children overlook or don’t communicate vision changes, which can go unnoticed by parents.

Hence, schools often conduct vision screenings. Yet, the American Optometric Association (AOA) highlights those tests’ limitations. These screenings usually assess distant vision and might be administered by inexperienced staff with obsolete equipment.

Symptoms of Vision Problems

If your child experiences the following symptoms along with learning issues, you should promptly arrange for eye checkups:

  • Frequent headaches coupled with eye strain
  • Seeing double or blurred images
  • Holding a book extremely close to the face
  • Avoiding tasks requiring close vision, such as reading
  • Slow reading while using a finger as a guide
  • Tilting the head or relying on one eye to read
  • Frequently losing one’s place while reading or having a short attention span
  • Mixing up, repeating, or skipping words
  • Regularly rubbing the eyes and excessively blinking
  • Limited development of hand-eye coordination
  • Eyes crossing or moving unevenly
  • Falling behind academically or socially compared to classmates

Treatment Options

Ophthalmologists might prescribe eyeglasses to address learning problems linked to vision. Children can wear these glasses constantly or specifically for tasks like reading. A child also usually requires an adaptation period for wearing glasses.

If your child is dealing with convergence or another condition that affects how the eyes work together, vision therapy is the preferred treatment. Consider it physiotherapy for the eyes, where specialists train the eyes to collaborate more effectively, lessening the strain.

Tips For Ensuring Your Child’s Eye Health

Each child should have the opportunity to excel in school. If a vision issue is hindering your child’s progress in school, here are several tips to assist them:

  • Engage your child in conversations about school
  • Watch for symptoms of vision problems
  • Monitor the results of school vision tests
  • Arrange an annual thorough eye examination
  • Motivate your child to wear their glasses or contact lenses consistently

Schedule A Consultation

Are you noticing your child having vision problems? Don’t hesitate to schedule a consultation with Dr. Gupta or Dr. Pereira at Advanced Eye Surgeons in Boca Raton or Tamarac, FL. Call one of our offices or use our online contact form.

DLM Admin

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