Your child does not have the ability to understand or describe vision problems. And unfortunately, school vision screenings can only detect some common vision problems such as trouble seeing distance. Other vision problems, like trouble seeing close up, astigmatism, and eye teaming and tracking abilities are undetectable from school screenings.
Vision problems not only interfere with learning – they can also affect a child’s behavior. Some vision disorders are misdiagnosed as behavior problems. Don’t let vision problems affect your child’s behavior and performance for the rest of his or her life. Contact us today to schedule a comprehensive pediatric exam with Dr. Gina Day.
Dr. Day is Board Certified by the College of Optometrists in Vision Development. Vision care provided by Dr. Day is based on the principle that vision can be developed and changed. These specialized vision care services develop and enhance visual abilities and correct many vision problems in infants and children.
Why 20/20 Isn‘t Good Enough in the Classroom
Many children with vision-related learning problems have 20/20 distance eyesight, but have great difficulty with reading. Most school screenings test just the sharpness of distance eyesight, so many vision problems that affect learning go undetected.
Eyestrain from inefficient eye movements, poor focusing, or lack of binocular fusion can make a child struggle to read and interferes with comprehension. Children often don’t complain about vision problems because they may not know what clear, comfortable vision looks or feels like.
Other children have difficulty processing the visual input and integrating the visual information with other sensory and motor information. These children often confuse the letters “b” and “d“, make reversals when writing, confuse words that look similar, or have difficulty retaining what is seen or read.
When Dr. Gina Day examines a child, she checks not only the optical clarity and health of the eyes, but also the binocular functions that relate to comfortable vision. For children with a history of possible learning difficulties, Dr. Day provides visual perception and dyslexia testing.
Dr. Day has a special understanding for children with vision problems because she was treated for a “crossed” and “lazy” eye as a child. She completed her Doctorate of Optometry with Honors at the Southern California College of Optometry where she was recognized for her research on strabismus and binocular suppression.