Studies of eye clinic records suggest that children with autism (ASD) and other special needs are prone to serious vision problems.

Journal of AAPOS, 2019

Recent publication of Journal of AAPOS (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus) showed among 2,555 children at a University of California Davis’ eye clinic that:

• 71% of children with ASD had a visual problem, of these:
  • 42% had significant refractive error
  • 32% had strabismus (eye turn)
  • 19% had amblyopia (lazy eye)

The most common vision problems experienced by children with ASD include strabismus (eye turn), in which the eyes are misaligned, and amblyopia (lazy eye), in which poor vision in one or both eyes results from issues in the early stages of visual development.

If your child has autism and you find they have vision problems, the Find an Eye Doctor directory lists eye doctors near you that are experienced in treating children with autism.

SEE RELATED: Vision and Autism: Part 1

Autism and vision problems

Over 7 out 10 individuals with autism experience vision problems.

Visual symptoms of autism can include:

• Difficulty maintaining eye contact
• Fleeting peripheral glances
• Side viewing
• Staring at spinning objects or light
• Reduce visual attention span

People with autism often use visual information inefficiently.

Visual issues can include coordinating their peripheral and central vision, this is usually displayed by having difficulty or the inability to follow an object with their eyes.

These children tend to scan or look off to the side of an object, instead of looking directly at the object and might also have difficulty maintaining visual attention.

Crossed eyes, lazy eye and eye movement disorders are common in children on the autistic spectrum.

Poor integration of peripheral and central vision

Those with autism are found to ignore peripheral vision and remain fixated on a central point of focus for long periods of time.

When there is poor integration of peripheral and central vision it can lead to difficulties in integrating and processing visual information in individuals with autism. When visual processing is interrupted cognitive, speech, motor, and perceptual abilities can also be affected.

Hypersensitive vision

It is known that many people with autism are visually defensive.

Visually defensive people might have hypersensitive vision and avoid contact with specific visual inputs. They have a hard time visually “holding still” and frequently rely on a constant scanning of visual information.

Vision exams for people with autism

As every person’s eyes are different. The way a person’s eyes are evaluated will vary depending on their individual levels of physical and emotional development.

Evaluation of the visual skills are vital to understand the functioning of the eyes and visual system, to determine if vision therapy could provide significant benefit.

Specific testing of the visual system is often done while the patient performs specific activities while wearing special lenses. For example, observing a patient’s postural compensation and adaptations will be made as they walk, sit, stand, or catch and throw a ball.

These tests help to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the visual system  and determine the best way forward to improve the quality of life.

Treatment of visual problems

The results of the vision exam can help determine if specific optical lenses are needed to compensate for farsightedness, nearsightedness, and astigmatism.

Vision therapy

Vision therapy is a successful process to help treat vision issues for those with autism and special needs. The activities in a vision therapy program can be used to stimulate general eye movements, visual arousal, and the central visual system.

The goal of vision therapy is to help autistic individuals to:

• gain peripheral stability
• gain more efficient eye coordination
• organize visual space
• attend to and appreciate central vision
• improve visual information processing

If your child has autism and you find they have vision problems, the Find an Eye Doctor directory lists eye doctors near you that are experienced in treating children with autism.

LEARN MORE: Vision for Special Needs

If you think vision therapy will help your autistic child, contact an eye doctor near you to get your child’s eyes tested and to discuss the best treatment options to improve their quality of life.

The post 2021 Update: Autism (ASD) and Vision appeared first on Optometrists.org.

When blurred vision and a headache are experienced at the same time it can be frightening, especially the first time it happens.

Blurred vision can affect one or both eyes. It can cause vision to be cloudy, dim, or even peppered with shapes and colors, making it difficult to see.

If a headache occurs with or causes blurred vision, it may be due to an underlying condition or medical emergency.

SEE RELATED: Can Sleep Apnea Affect your Eyes?

Contact an eye doctor near you if you experience blurred vision and a headache at the same time, as it can be a sign of a serious condition.

Conditions that can cause both a headache and blurred vision include:

1. Migraines

Migraines affect at least 10 percent of the world’s population. Migraine headaches cause severe pulsing or throbbing pain in a part of the head.

Roughly one-third of migraine sufferers also experience visual disturbances, such as blurred vision.

Visual symptoms of migraines tend to last an hour or less. Visual problems tend to set in before any pain is experienced, but they can also occur during the headache itself.

Other symptoms commonly associated with migraines include:

• blind spots
• nausea and vomiting
• objects seeming closer or further away than they are
• partial or complete temporary loss of vision
• seeing flashes of light or stars, squiggles, or dots
• seeing an aura of light around objects
• sensitivity to light and sound
• tunnel vision
• zigzagging lines that move across the field of vision and often shimmer

These symptoms are typically treated with painkillers, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, and  prescription medications.

If you experience any of these symptoms, contact an eye doctor near you.

2. Eye Strain

Eye strain occurs when the eyes become exhausted from prolonged use, such as driving long distances or looking at a computer screen or other digital device.

In many cases, signs and symptoms of eyestrain can indicate an underlying eye condition.

Undiagnosed visual problems causing headaches include such as an eye muscle imbalance or a need for glasses for the correction of myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism. Wearing glasses with an incorrect prescription may also cause eye strain.

Other than headaches and blurred, signs and symptoms of eye strain may include:

• Difficulty concentrating
• Double vision
• Feeling that you cannot keep your eyes open
• Increased sensitivity to light
• Sore neck, shoulders or back
• Sore, tired, burning or itchy eyes
• Watery or dry eyes

3. Binocular Vision Dysfunction (BVD)

BVD is due to a misalignment between the two eyes, causing the eyes to struggle to work together.

When people have normal binocular vision, their eyes function together and are completely in sync at all times, allowing the eyes to give the brain one clear and focused image.

Headaches and dizziness are the two most common symptoms associated with BVD. 

Patients with BVD tend to experience headaches in the front of the face or the temples. The dizziness is often described as feeling lightheaded or disoriented.

Other signs and symptoms include:

• Anxiety
• Dizziness
• Double vision
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Light sensitivity
• Motion sickness
• Stress

Blurred vision and headache together can indicate a serious medical condition.

If symptoms are mild and only last for a short period or you’ve been diagnosed with migraine, see an eye doctor.

LEARN MORE:  Guide to Eye Conditions

If you’re concerned about your symptoms, schedule an appointment with an eye doctor near you.

The post Blurry Vision and Headaches appeared first on Optometrists.org.

If a child has some kind of visual dysfunction, it can hinder their academic performance and affect their reading fluency.

Children who struggle with reading fluency are often intelligent and bright, but somehow they have difficulty reading.

If your child avoids reading or is not reading to their potential, contact an eye doctor near you, as they may have an undetected visual problem.

SEE RELATED: How Does Vision Therapy Boost Self Confidence?

What is reading fluency?

Reading fluency is the ability to read quickly, accurately, clearly and with expression. Children must be able to read fluently, whether aloud or quietly to themselves, in order to comprehend what they read. While reading aloud, the words should sound natural, with proper intonation.

Reading fluency is an essential classroom skill as it connects the child’s word recognition to their comprehension. 

Reading fluency gives students the opportunity to concentrate on the meaning of text and to draw correlations between what they are reading and their own prior knowledge. Reading fluency enables students to develop an accurate comprehension.

Non-fluent readers read slowly and sound choppy. They spend more time decoding, so they have less time and energy to understand what they are reading.  Oftentimes, they have to read the same passage many times in order to comprehend it.

Reading fluency and vision

Reading fluency is dependent on the strength of visual skills such as convergence, binocular vision, accommodation, visual fixation and saccades.

A deficiency in any of these crucial visual skills can lead to reading problems, which can have a negative effect on a child’s ability to learn.

Which visual skills are necessary for reading?

• Convergence – the ability of the eyes to retain a single image by turning inward, while at the same time focusing on a near object, such as a book or computer screen.
• Binocular fusion – the ability of the brain to create a single image using distinct visual information received from each eye.
• Accommodation – the ability of the eyes to switch focus between two distances while maintaining clear vision.
• Visual fixation – the ability of the eyes to accurately focus on a target image, such as a word on a page.
• Saccades – rapid eye movements across two or more focus points, such as when reading a sentence across a page or moving from one word to the next.

Could my child have a vision problem?

As children may not be able to verbally express themselves it can be difficult to identify a vision problem.

Common signs of a vision problem may include:

• Covering one eye
• Behavioral problems
• Frequent blinking
• Excessive fidgeting
• Limited attention span
• Tilting head to one side
• School avoidance
• Reading comprehension difficulties
• Reading below school grade level
• Reading avoidance

If your child shows signs of a visual impairment, it is important to visit an eye doctor near you for a comprehensive evaluation of your child’s vision and visual skills.

Can vision therapy help?

Vision is a learned skill that can be trained and strengthened.

If a vision problem is at the root of your child’s reading difficulty, a vision therapy program can improve your child’s reading grades.

A vision therapy program may help to improve your child’s visual skills and provide them with the necessary tools to succeed in learning and reading.

Each vision therapy program is created to the needs of the individual child, and may include prisms, filters, specialized lenses and eye exercises to help retrain the brain-eye connection and improve visual skills.

LEARN MORE: Guide to Vision and Learning Difficulties

If you think a vision problem may be affecting your child’s reading success, schedule an evaluation with a vision therapy eye doctor who can help strengthen their visual skills to improve reading fluency.

The post What is Reading Fluency? appeared first on Optometrists.org.

The ability to remember the objects in a certain order is crucial to learning how to read, write, develop comprehension and succeed in math.

Schedule an evaluation with a vision therapy eye doctor who can help improve any visual problems your child may have.

SEE RELATED: Visual Closure

What is visual sequential memory?

Visual sequential memory is the ability to remember and recall a sequence of objects and/or events in the correct order.

For example, a child with poor visual sequential memory may  read the word ‘felt’ as ‘left’ or ‘cat’ as ‘act.’

Signs of poor visual sequential memory

Your child might have trouble with visual sequential memory if they exhibit the following visual processing symptoms:

• Reading or comprehension difficulties
• Difficulty remembering forms (including shapes, orientation, sizes, and colors) or characters in the correct order
• Often whispers or talks aloud as they write
• Trouble spelling – misses, adds or jumbles letters within words
• Trouble recognizing and remembering patterns

If you suspect a problem in your child’s vision contact an eye doctor near you, to have your child’s vision evaluated.

How vision therapy can help

Vision therapy can improve visual sequential memory skills through eye exercises that help develop the child’s visual information processing skills.

These exercises will not only improve a child’s sequential memory issue, but help them improve their reading, comprehension and spelling skills so that their academic performance improves.

LEARN MORE: Guide to Vision and Learning Difficulties

Schedule an eye exam with an eye doctor near you who can diagnose and treat any vision problems your child may have.

The post Visual Sequential Memory appeared first on Optometrists.org.

Does your child still reverse letters, numbers or words? It could be a visual form constancy problem.

Form constancy is necessary to understand that letters, words and numbers remain the same whether in a book, newspaper, a sign or in a different font or text.

Children who have problems with form constancy may frequently reverse letters and/or numbers, causing reading or math difficulties.

What is visual information processing?

Visual information processing (VIP), also known as the visual perceptual skills, are the skills necessary for processing visual information, such as when reading, using a computer, playing sports, understanding facial cues, and more.

Difficulties with VIP are often found among students reading and learning disabilities, dyslexia and ADHD.

What is visual form constancy?

Visual form constancy is a specific visual perceptual skill that allows a child to understand that a shape, form or object stays the same even when it changes its position, size, or is in a different environment.

For example, when you see the letter ‘A,’ it’s always the letter ‘A’ whether in a word, bigger text or different font.

Schedule an evaluation with a vision therapy eye doctor who can help improve any visual problems your child may have.

SEE RELATED: Visual Sequential Memory

Signs of poor visual form constancy

Your child might have trouble with visual form constancy if they exhibit the following visual processing symptoms:

• Reading or math difficulties
• Struggles to find missing items quickly
• Struggles to recognize objects when placed in a new location
• Struggles to always recognize familiar objects or places in photographs
• Has trouble using building blocks or putting together a puzzle based on a picture
• Has trouble judging heights and distances
• Has trouble reading unusual fonts

If you suspect a problem in your child’s vision, contact an eye doctor near you to have your child’s vision evaluated.

How vision therapy can help

Vision therapy can improve visual form constancy skills through eye exercises that help retrain the eyes and brain to work together.

These exercises will help your child to more effectively remember words and improve spelling and number recognition.

LEARN MORE: Guide to Vision and Learning Difficulties

Schedule an eye exam with an eye doctor near you who can diagnose and treat any vision problems your child may have.

The post Visual Form Constancy appeared first on Optometrists.org.

It could be a visual figure-ground perception problem.

Figure-ground perception is a key component of visual processing that allows children to understand what they see.

This is an important brain function that affects everything from learning to read to solving puzzles.

Schedule an evaluation with a vision therapy eye doctor who can help improve any visual problems your child may have.

SEE RELATED: Visual Descrimination

What is visual figure ground?

Figure-ground perception is the ability to filter out irrelevant visual information so that you can concentrate on what matters.

This enables a child to locate precise visual information in the midst of a cluttered context. For example, we use figure-ground perception when reading a flyer on a busy bulletin board.

Signs of poor visual-ground perception

Your child might have trouble with figure-ground perception if they exhibit the following visual processing symptoms:

• Trouble concentrating on books with small print and/or many words on a page
• Trouble copying notes from the board
• Struggles with Hidden Pictures and I Spy games
• Trouble picking out details in images or words
• Trouble scanning for information in text

If you suspect a problem in your child’s vision, contact an eye doctor near you, to have your child’s vision evaluated.

How vision therapy can help

Vision therapy can improve visual figure-ground skills through eye exercises that help retrain the eyes and brain to work together. These exercises will not only improve a child’s visual figure-ground perception.

Vision Therapy will also help them improve the literacy skills so that learning doesn’t have to be a struggle.

LEARN MORE: Guide to Vision and Learning Difficulties

Schedule an eye exam with an eye doctor near you who can diagnose and treat any vision problems your child may have.

The post Visual Figure Ground appeared first on Optometrists.org.

When a child has a visual processing or perceptual disorder it hinders their ability to make sense of information taken in through the eyes and visual system. This does not mean they have problems with sharpness of vision or sight.

Many children have difficulties with eye tracking, which impacts how the brain interprets visual information.

What is eye tracking?

Eye tracking, also called visual tracking, is the eyes’ ability to track from left to right in an efficient manner and to follow moving objects.

Eye tracking problems are successfully treated with vision therapy.

Eye movements should be quick, consistent and smooth.

Eye tracking is critical to success in sports and school. The ability to track a ball or words on a page are affected when a person has poor eye tracking skills.

Poor eye tracking skills can cause difficulty in math, reading and writing. The issue is not with the eyes themselves, but the eye muscles. With poor eye tracking, eye motions may lack smoothness, causing vision to be jumpy. This can be a big contributor to dyslexia symptoms.

If you suspect your child has a learning difficulty, contact an eye doctor near you, who can diagnose and treat any visual problems.

SEE RELATED: 2021 Update: Reading Fluency

Eye tracking symptoms  

Some of the symptoms associated with eye tracking deficits include:

• Difficulty paying attention
• Clumsiness
• Difficulty copying from the board at school
• Guessing of words
• Guided reading – uses a finger when reading
• Loss of place when reading, writing, or copying
• Omits words or transposes words when reading
• Overwhelmed by pages of text
• Poor accuracy with word endings
• Poor awareness of punctuation
• Poor reading comprehension, fluency and speed
• Poor handwriting
• Poor sports performance
• Skips sentences
• Resists or avoids reading
• Re-reads words or sentences
• Reverses words or letters
• Rubs or squints eyes when reading
• Tilts head when reading
• Words or text may appear to float or move on the page

Vision therapy and eye tracking

The best way to treat a visual tracking disorder is with vision therapy. 

Vision therapy is a customized program to help strengthen the eye-brain connection, which is often weak in a person with visual tracking problems. It involves specific exercises designed to teach the eyes how to move smoothly from one place to another.

Sometimes reading lenses and/or bifocals can be helpful to reduce eye tracking symptoms. Therefore your eye doctor may recommend a vision therapy program along with lenses.

LEARN MORE: Guide to Vision and Learning Difficulties

Schedule an appointment with a vision therapy eye doctor near you to evaluate your child’s eye tracking abilities.

The post 2021 Update: Vision Therapy for Eye Tracking appeared first on Optometrists.org.

Visual efficiency is understood by measuring how effectively the eyes work together as a team.

Think of a car that has a poor engine, it won’t drive very fast. Reduced visual efficiency affects the eyes the same way the engine affects the car – only now it’s the eyes that do not work too well.

Signs of visual efficiency problems?

The most frequent symptoms of visual efficiency problems include:

• Reading below grade level
• Attention or concentration difficulties
• Uses finger pointing while reading
• Poor reading comprehension
• Disruptive in class
• Closing of one eye
• Words or letters moving, jumping, or running together when reading

What is visual efficiency measured?

Visual efficiency is measured by an eye doctor by examining how effectively the eyes work together as a team. 

The measurements of the eye’s teamwork are calculated based on the visual skills such as;

• Eye tracking
• Convergence
• Focusing

All these skills are essential for effective processing of visual information.

1. Eye Tracking

Eye tracking helps us gather and scan information quickly from the environment around us, this is mainly used in all learning conditions, when reading, doing homework, sitting examinations, using a computer and even on the sports field.

Eye tracking involves smooth and effortless movements of the eyes across a page or computer screen.

When eye movements are slower than normal, it may indicate an eye tracking problem. Three types of eye tracking problems are difficulties with pursuits and saccades and fixation disparities.

Individuals with an eye tracking problem may:

• Easily lose their place while reading
• Have difficulty spelling
• Have poor hand-eye coordination
• Often skip lines when reading
• Omit or substitute words while reading

If you experience any of these eye tracking problems, contact a vision therapy eye doctor near you.

2. Convergence

Your two eyes need to work in perfect unison and coordination in order to see the world in a clear and precise way. The images the brain creates may be uncomfortable or confusing when the eyes don’t function as a team.

Convergence insufficiency and convergence excess are two common eye teaming problems.

Convergence insufficiency impacts up to 15% of all students and occurs when the eyes find it difficult to focus inwards on an object, such as when reading or using a computer.

Convergence excess is the opposite: the eyes aren’t able to easily focus outward, leading to difficulties with distance vision.

Symptoms of eye teaming problems include:

• Blurred or double vision
• Difficulty concentrating
• Difficulty reading
• Headaches
• Poor depth perception
• Rubbing or squinting of the eyes
• Uncomfortable or tired eyes

SEE RELATED: Guide to Vision Therapy

Contact a vision therapy eye doctor who can assess your visual efficiency and treat any visual problems you may be experiencing.

3. Focusing Problems

Every time our eyes shift their gaze from one object to another, they need to change focus as each object is at a different position, this allows us to see everything clearly and learn effectively.

Focusing difficulties occur when the eye’s lens can’t relax and tighten or maintain a fixed focus position over many hours.

Focusing problems occur when there are difficulties either changing focus from close to far and back again or maintaining focus, such as on a book or computer screen, over an extended period.

Symptoms of focusing problems can include:

• Difficulty or avoiding reading
• Blurred vision
• Blurred vision when shifting focus from one object to another
• Frequent eye rubbing
• Holding objects close to the face in order to view them
• Headaches during or after reading
• Watery eyes

Visual efficiency and vision therapy

Visual efficiency can be significantly improved with vision therapy.

A vision therapy program involves custom-made visual exercises that create new pathways in the visual system. By regularly performing these exercises patient’s will develop improved visual skills and may notice a significant reduction in their symptoms.

LEARN MORE: Guide to Vision Therapy

Contact a vision therapy eye doctor near you to have their visual efficiency evaluated – it might change their lives!

The post How does Visual Efficiency affect Learning? appeared first on Optometrists.org.

Are looking for published research on VT?

Provided below are just a few references for published research articles on vision therapy and its effectiveness for the treatment of many vision conditions.

1. Association between reading speed, cycloplegic refractive error, and oculomotor function in reading disabled children versus controls. 

Quaid, P., Simpson, T. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 251,169–187 (2013)

Background

An estimated one in ten students aged 6 to 16 in the Ontario (Canada) school system have an individual education plan (IEP) for various learning disabilities, many of which include reading difficulties.

Method

• One hundred children aged 6 to 16 were examined in this study. Included in the participants were 50 students that held IEPs and 50 students that acted as the control group.
• The following binocular vision related data was acquired: Cycloplegic refractive error vergence facility, vergence amplitudes, accommodative facility, accommodative amplitudes, near point of convergence, stereopsis, and a standardized symptom scoring scale.
• Both the IEP and control groups were examined using the Visagraph III system, which allows recording of reading speed and the number of eye movements made per 100 words read.
• Reading comprehension was evaluated using a questionnaire administered at the end of the reading task, with a requirement of 80% or greater comprehension.

Results

• Cycloplegic examination: The IEP group had significantly greater hyperopia.
• Vergence facility: The IEP group showed significantly reduced vergence skills. There was also a significant correlation between this visual skill and reading speed, number of eye movements when reading, and a standardized symptom scoring system.
• Other binocular vision skills: Significant differences were found within the IEP and control groups.

Conclusion

• This research indicates significant correlations between reading speed, refractive error, and vergence facility.
• Students being considered for reading IEPs should have a full eye examination with cycloplegia, as well as a comprehensive binocular vision evaluation.

2. Improvement in academic behaviors after successful treatment of convergence insufficiency. 

Borsting E, Mitchell GL, Kulp MT, et al.Optom Vis Sci. 2012;89(1):12-18.

Purpose

To determine if treatment of symptomatic convergence insufficiency (CI) will affect Academic Behavior Survey (ABS) scores.

Method

The ABS is a survey developed by the Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial Group that enumerates the frequency of negative school behaviors and parental concern about school performance on a scale from 0 (never) to 4 (always) with total scores ranging from 0 to 24.

• Participants included 218 children aged 9 to 17 with symptomatic CI and enrolled in the Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial.
• The ABS was administered to the parents of the participants prior to treatment and after 12 weeks of treatment.
• Three groups of children were randomized into different treatment groups:
  • (1) Home-based computer vergence/accommodative therapy with pencil push-ups
  • (3) Office-based vergence/accommodative therapy with home reinforcement
  • (4) Office-based placebo therapy with home reinforcement

Participants were classified as successful, improved, or non-responder after completing 12 weeks of treatment.

Results

• At baseline, the average ABS score for the entire group was 12.85 (SD = 6.3).
• The average ABS score improved in children categorized as successful, improved, and non-responder by 4.0, 2.9, and 1.3 points, respectively.

Conclusion

• Improvement after CI treatment was associated with reduced frequency of negative academic behaviors both in reading and overall school performance, and parental concern.

If you feel you or your child could benefit from Vision Therapy, schedule an appointment with a vision therapy eye doctor and they will answer all your questions.

SEE RELATED: Guide to Vision Therapy

3. The Effect of Saccadic Training on Early Reading Fluency. 

Leong, D. F., Master, C. L., Messner, L. V., Pang, Y., Smith, C., & Starling, A. J. (2014). Clinical Pediatrics, 53(9), 858–864. https://doi.org/10.1177/0009922814532520

Background

Eye movements, necessary for reading, have been shown to relate to underlying cognitive and visual attentional processes during reading activities.

Purpose 

To determine the effect of saccadic training on reading fluency using the King-Devick remediation software.

Method 

• Elementary students received standardized reading fluency tests at baseline and post treatment.
• Treatment involved in-school training 20 minutes per day, 3 days per week for 6 weeks.

Results 

Post treatment, the treatment group had significantly higher reading fluency scores when compared to the control group.

Conclusion

• Saccadic training involves rigorous practice of eye movements and shifting of visuospatial attention— both essential skills for reading fluency
• With saccadic training, reading fluency can be improved significantly.

4. Frequency of Visual Deficits in Children With Developmental Dyslexia.

Raghuram A, Gowrisankaran S, Swanson E, Zurakowski D, Hunter DG, Waber DP. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2018;136(10):1089–1095.

Purpose

To assess the frequency of visual problems in children with Developmental Dyslexia (DD) and compare this frequency to typically developing (TD) readers. The visual skills assessed included: vergence, accommodation, and ocular motor tracking.

Method

• An observational study was conducted in an outpatient ophthalmology ambulatory clinic including 29 children with DD and 33 TD children.
• The following deficits were assessed: vergence (amplitude, fusional ranges, and facility), accommodation (amplitude, facility, and accuracy), and ocular motor tracking (Developmental Eye Movement test and Visagraph eye tracker).

Results  

• Accommodation deficits were more frequent in the DD group (55%) than the TD group  (9%).
• Ocular motor tracking deficits were more frequent in the DD group (62%) than the TD group (15%).
• Vergence deficits were more frequent in the DD group (34%) than the TD group (15%).
• In total, 79% of children in the DD group had visual deficits in 1 or more domains of visual function compared to the 33% of the TD group.

Conclusion

• Deficits in visual function are significantly more prevalent in school-aged children with DD than in TD children.
• Further research is necessary to determine if treating these visual deficits can improve visual symptoms and/or reading skills.

What is Vision Therapy?

Vision therapy is a research-based program that can improve the visual skills necessary for reading and learning. 

To read more about vision therapy and evidence based research, click here.

To learn more about how vision therapy can help your child, search through the many Success Stories written by parents of children who benefited from a program of vision therapy.

LEARN MORE: Guide to Vision Therapy

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s vision and academic success, schedule an appointment with a developmental optometrist near you.

The post 2021 Update: Published Studies in Vision Therapy appeared first on Optometrists.org.

Vision gives a person the ability to see near and distant objects. There are 17 visual skills that are necessary to perform at school and the office, these are all critical for learning.

Research shows 25 percent of children have a significant vision problem that impacts their learning, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA).

If your child has a problem with any of their 17 visual skills their learning and reading could be affected.

Schedule an eye exam with an eye doctor near you who can evaluate and determine if your child has a vision problem.

SEE RELATED: 2021 Update: Reading Fluency

How do visual problems impact the child?

Vision problems can affect a child’s reading, writing and spelling along with other aspects of learning. If your child’s vision is compromised then their academic performance may suffer.

Vision problems can impact any of these:

• Attention and concentration
• Classroom performance
• Handwriting
• Homework completion
• Reading fluency
• Reading comprehension
• Spelling
• Visual arts

Vision problems and learning difficulties

If your child has a learning difficulty, the cause may be an undiagnosed vision problem. 

Two visual skills, saccades and visual integration, are instrumental in a child’s ability to read.

Saccades is a skill that enables fluid reading. This skill allows your eyes to move smoothly and in coordination across a line on a page. Without it, words may be omitted in a sentence or a child may make word assumptions that can affect the meaning of the sentence and/or passage.

Visual integration is a skill that allows a child to read words accurately, seeing the order and shape of each letter in a word. Without visual integration, a child may confuse letters such as b and d or p and q, or confuse words such as ‘was’ and ‘saw’.

If your child is having difficulty reading at grade level, schedule an appointment with an eye doctor near you, who can evaluate your child’s vision and visual skills.

Vision therapy and learning

Vision therapy is a personalized treatment program that involves a series of eye exercises to strengthen the eye-brain connection, improve visual skills and overall learning and school achievements.

It is important to treat vision problems as early as possible so that your child can achieve optimal results and reach their full potential in school.

LEARN MORE: Vision Therapy for ADHD

If you think your child may have a vision problem, schedule a comprehensive vision evaluation with a vision therapy eye doctor near you.

The doctor will be able to detect any vision problems, and will discuss how vision therapy could improve your child’s learning.

The post 2021 Update: Vision Therapy for Learning appeared first on Optometrists.org.