{"id":20468,"date":"2022-01-16T09:11:53","date_gmt":"2022-01-16T09:11:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=20468"},"modified":"2022-01-16T09:11:53","modified_gmt":"2022-01-16T09:11:53","slug":"vision-related-learning-problems-top-6-myths-and-facts","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/vision-for-school\/vision-related-learning-problems-top-6-myths-and-facts\/","title":{"rendered":"Vision-Related Learning Problems: Top 6 Myths and Facts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Visual skills are a vital pillar of learning.\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Every student needs strong visual skills to excel at school.<\/b><\/p>\n

Your child\u2019s ability to learn in and out of the classroom depends on a number of factors, including the strength of their visual skills.<\/p>\n

Here are 6 top myths and facts about vision-related learning problems.<\/em><\/p>\n

Myth #1: Our sense of sight is equal to the other 4 senses<\/b><\/h2>\n

Fact: <\/b>According to the American Optometric Association, as much as 60% of the entire brain is involved with the gathering or interpretation of visual information.<\/b><\/h3>\n

This means that our sense of sight takes more brain capacity than all the other senses combined.<\/p>\n

Because of this, it should come as no surprise that children who have vision difficulties often have difficulties with learning as well.<\/a><\/p>\n

Myth #2: My child\u2019s vision is 20\/20, so their learning issues can\u2019t be vision-related<\/b><\/h2>\n

Fact: <\/b>20\/20 vision is important, but it is by no means the only consideration parents should have when assessing if a child\u2019s learning problems are vision-related<\/b>.\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Even if your child has 20\/20 vision<\/a>, they may still be struggling with mastery of certain functional vision or visual processing skills that can seriously hinder their ability to learn.<\/p>\n

Functional vision skills<\/b> involve the coordinated, efficient and accurate eye movements required to gather visual information. This visual information is then interpreted by the brain to create a single unified picture of the world around you.<\/p>\n

If your child has problems with these skills, they may have difficulties with depth perception<\/a>, keeping their spot on the page while reading or keeping objects in focus as they come closer and\/or move further away.<\/p>\n

This can cause symptoms such as blurry or double vision, headaches and eye strain, especially during activities such as reading or writing.<\/p>\n

Visual perception skills<\/b> involve the correct and efficient interpretation of visual information sent to the brain from the eyes.<\/p>\n

If your child is having difficulties with these skills, you may notice that they have a hard time retaining information they read, or spelling on grade level. This could be due to problems with perception skills such as visual memory or visual processing.<\/p>\n

Myth #3: Only ADD\/ADHD impacts my child\u2019s attention, not vision problems<\/b><\/h2>\n

Fact: <\/b>Many of the symptoms associated with ADD\/ADHD are also features of certain vision issues that can cause attention difficulties.<\/b><\/h3>\n

Difficulties with reading retention, attention span and apparent hyperactivity are symptoms of vision issues that can easily also be mistaken for ADD\/ADHD<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If your child has been diagnosed with ADD\/ADHD<\/a> or you suspect they may have it, it is worthwhile to consult an eye doctor to ensure that certain vision disorders aren\u2019t at play in your child\u2019s learning difficulties.<\/p>\n

Further symptoms of vision problems that can be mistaken for ADD\/ADHD and other learning disabilities include:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Reading slowly while using a finger<\/li>\n
  2. Trouble keeping their place while reading texts<\/li>\n
  3. Avoidance of close work and reading<\/li>\n
  4. Problems with development of eye-hand coordination<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Difficulties retaining things that they read<\/li>\n
  6. Falling behind socially or academically compared to the rest of their class<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    SEE RELATED: <\/strong>Could a Vision Problem Impact Academic Performance? Top 5 FAQs<\/a><\/p>\n

    For more information on vision-related learning difficulties and how they can be treated, contact an eye doctor near you<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\t

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