These tips will help you to protect your eye health and vision while still being able to rock your costume and amaze your friends and family: 

1. Read the directions carefully before applying any product to your skin and beware that many costume makeup products are not intended for use around the eyes.
2. Do not apply any makeup products or face paint directly to your eyes or the skin around your eyes— stay above your eyebrow bone and at the level of your cheek bones.
3. Avoid costume eye makeup products like stick on eyelashes and heavy paints. Instead, use your eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara that you use all year long.
4. Look for products that say “hypoallergenic” on the label to reduce your risk of an allergic reaction.
5. Test the product on a small area of your skin before using it on Halloween day to be sure that it will not cause any skin irritation.
6. Avoid eye glitter at all costs. If your costume calls for some sparkle around your eyes, opt for a shimmery eye shadow instead, as glitter can easily get into your eyes and scratch and irritate your eyes and even lead to an infection.
7. Beware of fluorescent colored makeup or additives in face paint which have not been FDA approved.
8. Never use fluorescent colored makeup near your eyes.
9. Do not share eye makeup, or use any makeup products or face paint from previous years— this can significantly increase your risk of eye infection.
10. If the product contains a strange smell, throw it out— it could be expired or contaminated.
11. Remove your makeup at the end of the night according to the instructions on the package— never sleep in face paint or makeup.

What to do in an eye emergency

If you experience any pain, redness, itchiness, or swelling after applying face paint or Halloween makeup, contact your eye doctor immediately. 

These are signs that can indicate an allergic reaction, chemical irritation, or eye infection and must be treated promptly to avoid complications.

The post How to Protect Your Eyes From Halloween Makeup appeared first on Optometrists.org.

All babies should have their eyes examined when they reach 6 months.

Babies depend heavily on their vision to explore and learn about the world around them. Many people are unaware that vision, like walking and talking, is a learned ability and your baby’s eyes benefit from visual stimulation.

That’s why it’s so important to make sure your child’s eyes and vision are developing normally. Parents and caregivers should be aware of the warning signs mentioned below, as they may indicate the need to see an optometrist.

Schedule an eye exam with an eye doctor near you to make sure your baby’s eyes are developing properly.

SEE RELATED: Vision Problems and Babies: Part 2 Q&A

Signs That May Indicate a Vision Problem In Infants

The following signs and symptoms may indicate your baby has a vision problem:

• Difficulty maintaining eye contact
• Excessive tearing or watery eyes
• Extreme light sensitivity
• Eye pain or discomfort that doesn’t resolve
• Eyes that rapidly move from side to side or up and down
• Eye turn, when one eye turns inward, outward, up or down
• Persistent eye redness

• Squinting or head tilting
• Very droopy eyelids
• White or grayish coloring in the pupil

Schedule an appointment with an eye doctor near you who can evaluate your baby’s eyes.

Visual Milestones

The visual milestones mentioned below are vital to achieve as your baby grows into a toddler during the first two years of life.

0-4 Months 

When babies are born, they are usually able to focus on objects that are about 9 inches away (the distance between their eyes and their parent’s face while being held).

After a few months, a baby’s vision develops quickly, enabling them to monitor moving objects with their eyes and begin to learn hand-eye coordination.

If you find that your newborn’s eyes tend to be crossed or that one eye turns outward at times, this is usually  nothing to worry about and will likely go away as their visual system progresses.

Important:, if you notice anything unusual, schedule an appointment with an eye doctor near you.

After 3 to 4 months, babies should be able to reach for things and track moving objects.

5-8 Months

Babies begin to see the world in 3 dimensions at around 5 months. Color and depth perception are new visual skills that evolve during these months.

Most babies start to learn to crawl at this age. Crawling helps a baby’s hand-foot-body coordination while also strengthening their visual system. When they crawl, babies look up into the distance, then down at their hands, then back up again.

Binocular vision and hand-eye coordination are improved by constantly changing their points of focus in coordination with their own movement.

9-12 Months 

At this age, a baby should be able to pick up small objects with their thumb and forefinger.

Most babies may also attempt to pull themselves to a standing position. They may even try to walk. Encouraging a child to crawl as soon as possible can help them develop hand-eye coordination and binocular vision.

A baby of this age should also have a good sense of distance.

12-24 Months 

Typically, by the age of 2, hand-eye coordination is well developed. Toddlers this age are able to point out objects in a picture book and recognize faces.

What Can Parents Do For Their Baby’s Visual Health? 

In order to develop a healthy visual system, babies need visual stimulation. Parents should engage in age-appropriate activities that will boost their child’s visual development.

Ways to help with visual development include:

• Providing plenty of free play with toys on the floor
• Talking to your baby as you walk around the room to help develop their visual tracking skills
• Reading books and pointing to objects
• Giving your child building blocks and balls that support visual spatial skills and fine motor skills.

LEARN MORE: Guide to Visual Development

If your baby is nearly 6 months old, or if you suspect  a visual problem whatever your child’s age, schedule an evaluation with an eye doctor near you.

The earlier any visual problems are diagnosed, the better the outcome.

The post Babies and Vision Problems appeared first on Optometrists.org.

Most baby’s eyes are assessed by a neonatologist within a few days after birth.

Undetected vision problems could affect your baby’s abilities to interact with the environment around them and result in learning or reading delays.

Studies show that up to half of all infants in their first 2 years have astigmatism and long-sightedness.

Here are some answers to questions related to babies and their vision.

#1 Does my baby need eye exams?

Yes, all babies should have their first eye exam at 6 months of age, even if no visual problems are suspected. The most common vision problems in babies and toddlers are farsightedness and astigmatism.

Up to 5% of all infants have amblyopia (lazy eye) and strabismus (eye turn).

#2 What does my baby see?

When babies open their eyes, their vision is fixed at about 12 inches (30 cm). This allows them to see their mother’s face and learn to recognize the source of their food.

At about six weeks a baby’s eyes should be able to follow objects, at about 1-2 meters away and by four months the eyes should work together.

Over the first year or two, a baby’s vision develops rapidly. A two-year-old typically sees around 20/30 vision, nearly the same as an adult.

#3 How can I help my baby’s visual development?

There are many things a parent can do to help their baby’s vision develop. The following are a few examples of age-appropriate activities that can help with an infant’s visual development.

From birth to 4 months;

• Place soft toys within your baby’s focus (up to 12 inches)
• Use a dim lamp or nightlight in your baby’s room
• Feed from alternate left and right breasts
• Talk softly from 12-24 inches away

From 5 to 8 months;

• Encourage floor play and exploration
• Use crib mobile for the baby to grab, pull and kick
• Stimulate grabbing and touching soft objects

From 9 to 12 months;

• Encourage crawling and creeping
• Play hide-and-seek games with toys

As a baby’s eyes are constantly changing, it’s important to get their eyes checked at 6 months and again at 2-3 years of age.

If you notice anything unusual, such as an eye turn, it is important to see an optometrist with experience in babies.

Schedule an eye exam with an eye doctor near you who can discuss your baby’s visual development and ensure they are meeting their milestones.

The post Does my Baby have a Vision Problem? appeared first on Optometrists.org.

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.

While pediatric eye emergencies can be alarming, being prepared can make all the difference. Knowing what to do if a child has an eye emergency gives parents and caregivers peace of mind and increases a child’s chances of achieving the most optimal treatment results.

When it comes to pediatric eye care, remaining calm and seeking immediate medical attention is vital for both you and your child.

Every year, over 125,000 children in the US receive urgent medical care by emergency eye doctors.

Here are the five most common types of pediatric eye emergencies, and tips on how to manage them.

1. Acute conjunctivitis 

This severe type of pink eye, formally called pediatric acute bacterial conjunctivitis, affects about 1 in 8 children every year. Acute conjunctivitis typically affects preschool children, toddlers and babies.

A child with this very contagious infection may experience eye discharge, itchiness and redness, usually in both eyes. Along with these eye symptoms, about 39% of children will also have a severe ear infection.

Treatment involves either oral or topical antibiotic medication, or in severe cases, both.

If your child shows any signs of acute conjunctivitis, contact an eye doctor near you for immediate treatment.

2. Blunt eye trauma

Blunt eye trauma can cause internal bleeding within the eye called hyphema. In severe cases, the extra blood within the eye can cause elevated inner eye pressure and lead to permanent vision loss. It usually happens during rough play or sports.

Typical symptoms after being struck in the eye include:

• Redness and swelling
• Eye drainage
• Eye pain that won’t go away
• Vision changes
• Visible abnormalities of the affected eye
• Visible bleeding in the white of the eye (sclera)

If your child has any of these symptoms, seek immediate medical care.

If you suspect your child has an eye injury, urgently contact an eye doctor near you who can diagnose and treat the condition.

SEE RELATED: What to Do for a Black Eye

3. Chemical exposure to the eye

A variety of household cleaning products  can damage a child’s eyes and result in an eye care emergency. To protect your child’s eyes, keep these things locked away and out of reach.

If a child’s eye is exposed to a chemical, look for a phone number on the product’s label to dial in the event of an emergency or contact your nearest pediatric emergency eye care department.

Immediately after the incident: Hold your child’s eye open for about 20 minutes while you flush the eye area with clean water or saline drops. If both eyes have been exposed, place your child in the shower and have them face the water so it goes into their eyes.

4. Cuts or scrapes to the eye

Particles of dust, sand, wood shavings and other tiny objects can get into a child’s eye and cause a scratch on the surface of the eye, called a corneal abrasion.

Corneal abrasions may cause:

• Vision problems
• Stinging
• Burning
• Light sensitivity
• Red eyes
• Swollen eyes
• Grittiness
• Watery eyes

If you suspect that your child has a corneal abrasion, immediately contact an eye doctor near you for treatment.

Corneal abrasions are typically treated with eye drops, medicated ointments, and sometimes pain relievers.

To get the object or particle out of the child’s eye, rinse the affected eye with saline solution or clean tap water. They can also blink several times to try and flush out whatever is scratching the eye. Avoid rubbing the eye, as that can make almost any eye condition worse.

5. Foreign objects stuck in the eye

If your child is complaining that something is stuck in their eye, the first thing to do is to tell them not to rub their eyes. Visually inspect their eyes and see if you find anything. If a foreign object is on the sclera, the white part of the eye, try flushing the eye with saline solution or clean water.

If it looks like something is lodged in the eye or has penetrated the eyeball, do not try and remove it. Seek pediatric eye care immediately.

When it comes to pediatric eye emergencies, remaining calm is important for both you and your child.

LEARN MORE: Guide to Children’s Eye Exams

If your child has had an eye emergency, immediately contact an eye doctor near you who can help with eye emergencies and other eye care services.

While pediatric eye emergencies can be alarming, being prepared can make all the difference. Knowing what to do if a child has an eye emergency gives parents and caregivers peace of mind.

When it comes to pediatric eye care emergencies, remaining calm and seeking immediate medical care is vital for both you and your child.

The post Top 5 Pediatric Eye Emergencies appeared first on Optometrists.org.

How can optometrists help?

Visual processing describes the way the brain processes visual information – this includes all information from a child’s reading, computer, sports, facial cues and social interactions.

Visual processing difficulties affect many students diagnosed with reading and learning disabilities, dyslexia and ADD/ADHD.

What are VIP difficulties?

There are several different types of visual processing difficulties, each with its own symptoms. An individual can have more than one type of visual processing difficulty.

1. Visual discrimination

Visual discrimination is the ability to recognize similarities and differences between shapes, sizes, objects, colors and patterns.

2. Visual figure-ground

Figure-ground perception is the ability to filter visual information that isn’t immediately relevant  so that you can focus on the relevant visual information.

3. Form constancy 

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

4. Visual closure

Visual closure is a visual perceptual skill that allows you to know what an object is even when the object is only partially visible.

5. Visual memory

Visual memory is the ability to immediately recall what the eye has seen.

6. Visual sequential memory

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

7. Visual motor integration

Visual motor integration is the ability to interpret visual information and respond with a motor action.

Signs VIP difficulties?

The most common signs of VIP difficulties include:

• Slow reading speed
• Difficulties with spelling
• Confusing similar looking words
• Reading words backwards
• Writing letters or numbers backwards
• Reduced math skills
• Poor reading comprehension
• Messy handwriting
• Confusion of letters and numbers

How can vision therapy help?

A vision therapy treatment program can improve a child’s visual processing abilities through eye exercises that help retrain the eyes and brain to work together.

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

The post What is Visual Information Processing? appeared first on Optometrists.org.

Having impaired vision makes it difficult to read, play sports, recognize faces and participate in social activities. It can also make it difficult to navigate outdoors, especially on a busy street or crowded sidewalk.

In children, the first signs of low vision may be clumsiness or inattentiveness, when in reality, the problem is in their vision.

While impaired vision comes with many challenges, a low vision eye doctor can offer a variety of strategies and vision aids that can maximize a child’s remaining vision.

There are many causes of low vision and blindness in children:

1. Albinism 

Albinism is an inherited condition that affects the production of melanin- pigment in the skin, hair, and eyes that gives each person their own unique coloring. People with albinism either have very little melanin or no melanin at all.

Albinism affects how the eyes function. Healthy amounts of melanin are used in the development of the retina. Reduced amounts of melanin in the eyes, or none at all, can cause a variety of vision problems including:

• Astigmatism — when the lens is abnormally shaped or the cornea (the clear part at the front of the eye) isn’t curved correctly, causing blurred vision
• Low vision — irreversible vision loss
• Nystagmus — involuntary, rapid eye movements
• Photophobia — light sensitivity
• Poor eyesight — farsightedness or nearsightedness
• Eye turn — eyes pointing in different directions

Vision problems associated with albinism last a lifetime, but typically don’t worsen over time.

2. Ocular trauma

Ocular trauma is a leading cause of blindness, affecting one eye.

According to a study published in the Journal of Ophthalmology, about a quarter of a million children are treated for serious ocular trauma every year, in the U.S. alone.

Up to 14% of children experiencing ocular trauma result in permanent visual impairment or blindness.

Whenever your child is playing sports, doing certain crafts or engaging in any activity that could pose a risk to their eyes, make sure they wear protective eyewear.

SEE RELATED: What is Low Vision?

Contact an eye doctor near you to ensure your child achieves the highest quality of life.

3. Pediatric cataracts

A cataract is the cloudiness or opacity that occurs in the eye’s lens. While some cataracts are small and won’t interfere with vision, others are large causing severe vision loss.

An estimated 3 out of 10,000 children have cataracts.

Common causes of pediatric cataracts are infections, genetics, and abnormal lens development in utero. If a cataract is small or on the outer edges of the lens, it might not interfere with a child’s vision.

If a cataract interferes with the child’s vision, it should be surgically removed as soon as safely possible.

4. Pediatric glaucoma 

Pediatric glaucoma, also referred to as infantile or childhood glaucoma, is usually diagnosed before a child’s first birthday.

Glaucoma causes an increase in the eye’s internal pressure, which can lead to permanent optic nerve damage. 

Symptoms of pediatric glaucoma include vision loss, excessive tearing, cloudiness in the cornea, enlarged eyes, and photosensitivity (light-sensitivity). In many cases, childhood glaucoma can be effectively managed and treated.

5. Retinal diseases 

Retinal diseases, such as Bardet-Biedl syndrome, Leber congenital amaurosis, retinitis pigmentosa (RP), Stargardt macular dystrophy, and Usher syndrome can cause low vision or blindness in children.

A child with any of these retinal diseases should be monitored closely by a low vision optometrist.

Low vision devices for children

Children with vision loss can live full and independent lives. While lost vision can’t be restored, there are low vision devices, such as magnifiers and telescopes, that can help maximize a child’s usable vision. These low vision aids can be easily adapted to facilitate a child’s daily routine to help them function as independently as possible.

The most common low vision devices for children include magnifiers for improving near vision and telescopes for improving distance vision.

LEARN MORE:  Guide to Low Vision

If you have a child with low vision, contact a low vision eye doctor near you to learn more about the variety of low vision devices that can benefit your child.

The post What Causes Low Vision In Children?  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.

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.

This year marks my 30th year as an optometrist and during all of those years I have seen thousands of children and adults on the spectrum from autism to learning disabilities.

I owe much of my early knowledge to Patty Lemer who introduced me to the Developmental Delay Registry, now reinvented as Epidemic Answers. I learned about the DAN! Network, Kelly Dorfman, Bernard Rimland, and Mel Kaplan’s work in the beginning of my career, even working for Mel primarily in the vision therapy room in the early 90’s.

If your child has been diagnosed with autism, contact an eye doctor near you, who can exam and strengthen your child’s visual skills.

SEE RELATED: Vision and Autism: Part 2

Autism by numbers

It is hard to believe that the rates of children diagnosed with autism in this country have grown from 1 in 2500 to almost 1 in 60!

We are looking at an epidemic that has dire consequences for our society.

We are guaranteed to come in contact with someone on the spectrum and Patty’s newest book, ‘Outsmarting Autism’, gives detailed and cutting edge ways to address factors associated with the exponential rise in autism rates and concrete treatment methods. Maria Rickert Hong’s book, ‘Almost Autism’, is also a good read for parents.

Autism and vision

Once a child has the appropriate support, I look at vision within the context of a multisensory model.

Vision is the dominant sense and much of the brain is dedicated to visual learning.

An individual learns most efficiently in a multimodal fashion. That means that learning occurs best when inputs from different parts of the brain match.

Learning occurs best when visual inputs match perspective inputs, for example, when we see an object and reach out to touch and feel it in the same place as where we saw it.

The same synchronicity of auditory and visual inputs occur when we see and hear something that matches. Think of the mismatch and confusion that happens when the soundtrack of a movie does not match the lip movements of the actors.

This sensory motor integration is critical for the proper development of a child.

In children with developmental delays, there is often a lack of cohesion between visual, auditory and other inputs leading to the unusual behaviors, language, and socialization difficulties such as:

• Repetitive movements
• Echolalia or repeating words
• Lack of eye contact

Accurate assessment of a child in a vision examination includes looking at posture, balance, physical health, receptive and expressive speech patterns, cognitive understanding of the tasks given, motor coordination, attention, and awareness.

The functional vision examination gives essential information so that the appropriate intervention can be recommended. 

The eye itself and how a child uses their vision can give clues on how to best treat the entire system.

Vision therapy for autism

Because vision is key to so many other systems, vision intervention, such as vision therapy, can have a profound effect on a child.

Specific optical lenses, prisms, tints, and vision therapy are highly effective in treating patients on the autism spectrum.

The most commonly observed signs indicating that vision therapy could benefit a child include:

• Poor eye contact
• Repetitive hand movements
• Staring
• Side looking
• Light sensitivity
• Poor coordination
• Learning challenges

A customized program of vision therapy provides the opportunity to develop these visual skills in a guided and therapeutic manner.

Examination of visual skills is essential

Determining the strength of the visual skills is a vital component of an eye examination for all children on the autism spectrum.

Children, especially, may be exposed to various stressors including biochemical, environmental, physical, social, educational and emotional challenges that impact development and learning.

Referral to health care practitioners can provide patients with the essential nutrition and recommendations to strengthen the immune system, balance hormones, and detoxify the body, from more traditional treatments to the latest ones which use more alternative medicine methodology.

It is essential to assess a child’s functional visual skills, as well as nutrition, physical health, development, environmental and genetic factors, cognitive ability, motor, speech and language, and their educational demands.

I am grateful for those who came before me and those colleagues that understand the importance of vision intervention in those on the spectrum.

LEARN MORE: Vision for Special Needs

If your child has been diagnosed with autism, contact an eye doctor near you, who can exam and strengthen your child’s visual skills.

The post Vision and Autism: Part 1 appeared first on Optometrists.org.