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SPOTTING THE PROBLEM

Children's Vision

Children's eyes are different to adult's eyes. They are still growing and don't stabilise until their teens and are not at their most efficient when working at close distance ie. reading and writing. Many children are slightly long sighted which means their eyes are more comfortable at a distance ie. playing games in the playground. A small amount of long-sightedness is quite normal at a young age and the eyes are generally flexible enough to compensate. For some children, however, the effort needed to work at near is too much and concentration can be affected. Adequate distance vision doesn't indicate how well the eyes can cope with sustained near tasks ie. reading and writing.

Visual Stress

When the eyes are not strong enough for the tasks set for them they become stressed. For children the continued use of vision at near distances requires physical effort.

There are two basic types of responses to visual stress.

1.) Physical symptoms, such as ...

Headaches.

Tiredness.

Watering Eyes.

Postural adaptations.

2.) Avoidance / drop in performance symptoms, such as ...

Loss of concentration during close tasks ie. reading and writing.

Sitting too close to work.

Mistakes in copying.

Poor handwriting.

Drop in reading level.

Frustration.

In addition, many children find concentration difficult and get into trouble for being disruptive. A behavioural optometrist should examine any child exhibiting any of the symptoms described above.

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VISUAL SKILLS AND LEARNING

Several general areas of ability or skill in seeing can be directly related to progress in learning and the student's approach to the demands of the classroom. Physically, the continued use of vision at near distances requires physical effort. Perceptual skills are needed for reading and writing which involve processing visual information.

Important Skills

Eye movement control - this allows easy shifting of the eyes along the lines of print in a book, a speedy and accurate return to the next line, effective scanning of vertical columns and quick and accurate shifts from the desk to chart or board.

Focussing (seeing clearly) - children need to be able to hold their focus at near distances without getting tired. They also need to change focus quickly and accurately between different distances eg. from their desk to the teacher and the board and back again.

Eye coordination - this skill relates to how well the two eyes work together as a team on any task, either helping each other or working against each other. Deficiencies in eye teaming ability can result in an eye turning in or out (strabismus), double vision, suppression (the turning off of the vision in one eye), fatigue, headaches and eyeaches, poor concentration, poor comprehension, poor depth perception and distance judgements, poor ball skills, general clumsiness, head tilt and avoidance of close work.

Perceptual skills - perception is making sense of what we see. Skills include visual closure, figure ground, visual span, memory and discrimination.

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WHAT TO EXPECT FROM VISUAL THERAPY

At the first appointment a full eye examination will be carried out with tests for specific visual and perceptual skills. The optometrist may recommend glasses to correct vision or relieve stress and/or a series of exercises to build up visual and perceptual skills. Stress-relieving glasses for close work are sometimes prescribed as a temporary measure until the eyes are strong enough to work without stress.

Visual therapy consists of home exercises (about 10 mins a day) and some sessions in our visual therapy room using a range of optometric equipment, perceptual materials and a comprehensive computer program encompassing both visual and perceptual skills.

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VISION THERAPY SEMINARS AND CONFERENCES

Click here for information on Vision Therapy Seminars and Conferences

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