August is Vision and Learning Month! Since our children are starting to head back to school, it is important to educate parents and teachers about the link between vision and learning. Some children may struggle with reading or learning and it could be associated with vision problems, but that is often overlooked.
When a parent says, “My child has 20/20 vision, he can not have a vision problem.” That is not true. The vision screenings that are done at school do not always test for eye coordination and eye movement disorders. With that being said, vision problems are often overlooked because these possible problems could be mistaken for behavior or attention problems.
If a child has a vision problem that goes undetected he or she may struggle with reading and doing their school work. Some signs that the child may be struggling could be fidgeting, fatigue, headaches, and frustrations in the classroom.
As mentioned above, it is not about just having 20/20 vision. Many other factors go into vision and learning. Please be aware of this if you notice your child struggling to read and learn. Early diagnosis and treatment is beneficial to help our children succeed. When scheduling your child’s back-to-school eye exam choose a doctor that is a developmental optometrist.
More on blogs that we have done in relation to Vision & Learning here: