{"id":10816,"date":"2021-05-19T05:59:49","date_gmt":"2021-05-19T05:59:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=10816"},"modified":"2021-07-26T06:07:43","modified_gmt":"2021-07-26T06:07:43","slug":"2021-update-reading-comprehension","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/2021-update-vision-therapy-for-learning\/2021-update-reading-comprehension\/","title":{"rendered":"2021 Update: Reading Comprehension"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Since 80 percent of learning is through vision, if a child has a visual problem it will affect their reading comprehension.\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>The first step in reading is reading fluency. Once a child has mastered that, they will start to be able to comprehend what it is they are reading.<\/p>\n<p>Without comprehension, reading is a pointless and frustrating exercise. What most people don\u2019t realize is that visual information is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/vision-therapy-for-children\/the-myth-of-20-20\/could-a-child-with-20-20-sight-have-a-vision-problem\/\">essential for reading comprehension<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><b>If a child struggles with reading comprehension it could be due to an undiagnosed vision problem.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>A traditional vision exam primarily measures visual acuity, or 20\/20 eyesight, unusually it does not assess functional vision, so a child with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/vision-therapy-for-children\/the-myth-of-20-20\/could-a-child-with-20-20-sight-have-a-vision-problem\/\">&#8217;20\/20 sight&#8217; could still have a visual problem<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Functional vision is how your entire visual system \u2013 the brain, the eyes, the visual pathways \u2013 works together to help you interact with your environment.<\/p>\n<p><b>There are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/\">17 visual skills<\/a> that impact a child\u2019s school performances.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The functional vision exam includes a comprehensive assessment of the visual skills including;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Lazy eye<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Eye focusing<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Eye Tracking<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Binocular function<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Convergence<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Visual information processing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A functional eye exam is vital for all children with reading comprehension challenges<b>.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong>If your child is not reading to their grade level, <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1626857174721000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHEnmVBfLowDlzkgOY5tIIOtNoU9A\">contact an eye doctor<\/a> near you, who can diagnose and treat any visual problems.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>SEE RELATED: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/2021-update-vision-therapy-for-learning\/2021-update-reading-fluency\/\">2021 Update: Reading Fluency<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t<div class=\"practice-search-widget\">\n\t\t<h3>Find a Vision Therapy Eye Doctor Near You<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t<form class=\"practice-search-form practice-search-form-widget\" action=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/results\/\" method=\"get\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"page\" class=\"practice-search-page\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_latitude\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_longitude\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"address\" class=\"practice-search-address\" placeholder=\"City, Surburb or Address\" value=\"\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<button type=\"submit\" class=\"practice-search-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M10.6796 0.130005C9.15708 0.130059 7.66615 0.5646 6.38198 1.38258C5.09781 2.20057 4.07373 3.36803 3.43004 4.74783C2.78634 6.12763 2.54976 7.66246 2.74808 9.17205C2.9464 10.6816 3.57139 12.1033 4.54964 13.27L0.729639 17.08C0.6364 17.1732 0.562439 17.2839 0.511979 17.4058C0.461519 17.5276 0.435547 17.6581 0.435547 17.79C0.435547 17.9219 0.461519 18.0524 0.511979 18.1743C0.562439 18.2961 0.6364 18.4068 0.729639 18.5C0.917942 18.6883 1.17334 18.7941 1.43964 18.7941C1.5715 18.7941 1.70207 18.7681 1.82389 18.7177C1.94571 18.6672 2.0564 18.5932 2.14964 18.5L5.99964 14.62C7.35406 15.6038 8.98566 16.1324 10.6596 16.13C12.7814 16.13 14.8162 15.2871 16.3165 13.7869C17.8168 12.2866 18.6596 10.2517 18.6596 8.13C18.6596 6.00827 17.8168 3.97344 16.3165 2.47315C14.8162 0.97286 12.7814 0.130005 10.6596 0.130005H10.6796ZM10.6796 14.13C9.49295 14.13 8.33291 13.7781 7.34622 13.1188C6.35952 12.4595 5.59049 11.5225 5.13636 10.4261C4.68224 9.32975 4.56342 8.12335 4.79493 6.95946C5.02644 5.79558 5.59788 4.72648 6.437 3.88736C7.27611 3.04825 8.34521 2.4768 9.5091 2.24529C10.673 2.01378 11.8794 2.1326 12.9757 2.58673C14.0721 3.04085 15.0092 3.80989 15.6685 4.79658C16.3277 5.78328 16.6796 6.94332 16.6796 8.13C16.6796 9.7213 16.0475 11.2474 14.9223 12.3726C13.7971 13.4979 12.2709 14.13 10.6796 14.13Z\" fill=\"#fff\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"practice-search-use-my-location\">\n\t\t\tSearch near me\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\n\t<\/form>\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<h2><b>Vision and reading comprehension<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>There are in fact 17 visual skills that can impact a child\u2019s school grades. Listed below are just 3 of the top functional vision problems related to reading comprehension:<\/p>\n<h3><b>1. Eye focusing (Accommodative insufficiency)<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Accommodation is the eyes\u2019 ability to focus. Tiny muscles inside your eyes contract or relax to change the shape of your eyes\u2019 lenses and allow you to bring objects at different distances into focus.<\/p>\n<p>When you focus on something close, the muscles contract, and when you focus on something in the distance, they relax. This can make reading difficult when trying to maintain focus on objects up close, such as a book.<\/p>\n<h3><b>2. Convergence insufficiency<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Convergence insufficiency is a problem with keeping both eyes working together, especially when focusing on words on a page.<\/p>\n<p>When the eyes don\u2019t converge accurately, it can affect the ability to concentrate on simple near tasks. This can also result in headaches, double vision, and visual discomfort when performing near activities like reading.<\/p>\n<h3><b>3. Eye tracking (Irregular saccades)<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Eye saccades is a visual skill that enables a person to make quick eye movements from one object to another, such as moving from word to word while reading. Irregular saccades make reading more challenging and difficult for a child to keep their place when reading.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Can vision therapy help?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/vision-and-learning-difficulties\/\">Vision therapy<\/a> is a fully personalized treatment program designed to improve and strengthen visual skills, and retrain a child\u2019s visual system to interpret visual input with increased accuracy and ease.<\/p>\n<p>Vision therapy is more than just<a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/vision-and-learning-difficulties\/\"> simple eye exercises<\/a> \u2014 it improves brain-eye communication, and the effective operating of a child\u2019s visual system.<\/p>\n<p><b>The goal of vision therapy is to boost attention, concentration, learning, and reading.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong>LEARN MORE:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/\">Guide to Vision and Learning Difficulties<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\">Contact an eye doctor near you<\/a> that specializes in vision therapy, this may just be what your child needs to significantly improve their reading comprehension.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since 80 percent of learning is through vision, if a child has a visual problem it will affect their reading comprehension.\u00a0\u00a0 The first step in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":10817,"parent":10859,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-article.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[476,95,190,107,111,112,151,103,490,153,101],"class_list":["post-10816","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-17-key-visual-skills","tag-childrens-vision","tag-comprehension","tag-concentration","tag-convergence","tag-dyslexia","tag-eyestrain","tag-reading","tag-reading-and-learning","tag-school","tag-visual-skills"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - 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