Vision Facts
Vision is one of our main sensory system we rely on. There are 100 million impulses in the brain and 80% of those are received through the visual system. What most people don’t know is that vision goes far beyond just how clear a picture or word is. We use our vision to form perceptions of our environment, it allows us to have depth perception and impacts our spatial awareness.
- 1 in 4 children have visual issues
- 75% increase in convergence problems and myopia with COVID and increased use of technology
- Convergence occurs when moving our eyes from something far to something near. Example, copying from the board- moving eyes from board to paper at desk
- An increase in convergence and nearsightedness have increased with the increased use of screens (tablets, phones, TV, computer)
Signs of vision issues or dysfunction:
- Excessive rubbing or blinking of eyes
- Complaints of headache
- Leaning head in close to see
- Clumsy, bumps into things
- Difficulty with reading and writing
- Difficulty copying or reading from the board
- Difficulty attending to task and staying focused
- Fatigues easily during homework time
- Difficulty locating items in a busy background (ex. fridge or pantry)
- Difficulty with memorization of letters and numbers
Common visual conditions:
- Binocular Vision Dysfunction: Occurs when the eyes do not team together in a perfectly synchronized manner.
- Refractive Errors: These include nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism.
- Lazy Eye (Amblyopia): Reduced vision in one eye, often due to a misalignment of the eyes or a significant difference in refractive error between the two eyes.
- Strabismus: Misalignment of the eyes, where they do not point in the same direction.
- Color Vision Deficiency: Difficulty in perceiving certain colors.
Impact of Vision Issues on Learning
Vision problems can affect a child’s ability to read and write. It can create double vision, tracking issues where a child loses their placement while reading or writing affecting reading comprehension and speed. It can create difficulties with attention, writing with good alignment (staying within the lines on a page), spelling and math.
Click here for more on vision, Vision Development and Visual Perceptual Skills