Your child’s academic performance is largely influenced by their eyesight. Research has shown that around 80% of children’s learning is visual. This means that most kids understand things better when they’re explained through visual demonstrations or with the use of visual aids.
Read on as Park Slope Eye, your trusted provider of dry eye treatment and other eye care services, talks about learning-related vision problems.
Functional Vision Disorders
Functional vision refers to the various activities of your children’s eyes and their corresponding neurological processes. This includes your kids’ fine eye movements, accommodation and binocularity. Convergence insufficiency is one example. This occurs when your children’s eyes are misaligned, making it difficult for them to focus when reading or doing other close-range work. Any irregularities in these skills may also cause double or blurry vision that may be accompanied by eye strain and headaches.
Refractive Errors
Having an irregularly shaped eye or uneven corneal surface may impair how light rays are focused on your child’s eyes, leading to a refractive error. Myopia (nearsightedness) is the most common refractive error, and is usually detected in childhood. This condition makes it hard to see distant objects, e.g., the notes written on the classroom board. We may prescribe corrective eyeglasses or contact lenses to improve your child’s distant-range viewing.
Perceptual Eyesight Irregularities
Visual perception is your child’s ability to identify the objects they see and relate them to stored information in the brain. This ocular function helps your kids understand things better. Any irregularities with this process may result in perceptual vision errors, like color blindness. Your children may struggle to distinguish one color from another, which could make schoolwork more challenging.
If undetected, these eyesight problems may adversely affect not only your child’s learning but also their development. This is why your pediatric eye doctor emphasizes the importance of bringing your child for regular eye exams.
Complete our form to schedule an appointment and learn more about learning-related vision problems. We serve Brooklyn, NY, and nearby areas.
