Children's Vision Warning Signs

CHILDREN’S VISION: WATCH FOR SIGNS

Some of the learning problems your child faces in school may be related to vision. Even if your child has 20/20 eyesight, there may be hidden visual problems that affect your child’s understanding of school tasks. These visual problems can usually be treated with prescription eyeglasses and/or visual training. According to the American Optometric Association (AOA) nearly 25% of all school-age children in the United States have a vision problem.   

          

The AOA found that few of these problems extend to full blindness. Instead, they are often subtle vision problems that can impair or even prevent a child’s development. These visual inefficiencies can interfere with learning, inhibit participation in sports and other activities and create frustration for children of any age.

Unfortunately, because some visual problems related to learning are often mistaken for low motivation, rebelliousness, short attention span, or unwillingness to study, they can be hard to detect.  However, sometimes these behaviors can be symptoms of an underlying visual cause.

Parents and teachers can look for the following signs that may indicate visual problems in a child:

• Has short visual and listening attention span; becomes easily    bored and restless
• Loses place easily when reading
• Suffers from car sickness
• Trips or stumbles regularly
• Has little or no interest in books beyond mechanical turning    of pages
• One eye turns in or out at any time
• Headaches, burning or itching eyes after reading
• Complains of seeing double
• Omits letters, numbers or phrases
• Avoids near-centered tasks
• Covers or closes one eye when reading
• Does not improve, even after continued practice

If these symptoms are discovered in your child, schedule a visual examination.  A child’s vision examination differs from an adult.  A thorough developmental optometric exam of a child includes a battery of tests.   These may be new to you and provide insights not known.

--James B. Mayer, OD, FCOVD

     Agape Learning & Optometry Center

     Thousand Oaks, CA   91360 

Learning Related Vision Problems

Learning Difficulties?  Get Vision Therapy!

Sometimes a success story from a parent will help in understanding how vision therapy can help with learning difficulties.  Maybe there are headaches or eyestrain.  Many times there will be difficulties in skipping words or lines when reading.  Visual concentration is often reduced. In the following video you will learn about anger problems with a child who had learning related vision problems.  I think you will really enjoy "Sophie's Story".  It was provided by Dr. Gabby Marshall of Bend, OR.

--James B. Mayer, O.D., F.C.O.V.D.
     Agape Learning & Optometry Center
     Thousand Oaks, CA   91360

Computer Vision Syndrome

Some 100 million American workers are affected by computer eyestrain, a symptom of Computer Vision Syndrome.  March is Eye Safety in the Workplace month, and as our nation has moved from a manufacturing society to an information society, Computer Vision Syndrome has become a workplace concern.  While prolonged computer use will not damage vision, it can make you uncomfortable and decrease productivity.

Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is caused by the eyes constantly focusing and refocusing on the characters on a computer screen. These characters don’t have the contrast or well-defined edges like printed words and the eyes’ focus cannot remain fixed.  Symptoms of CVS include headaches, loss of focus, burning or tired eyes, blurred vision and neck or shoulder pain.

CVS can be partially alleviated by changes in the ergonomics of the work area.  Proper lighting and monitor placement can go a long way toward reducing CVS, as can giving your eyes frequent “breaks” from the computer.  But the underlying cause of CVS – the ability of the eyes to focus on the computer screen – may only be remedied by specialized computer glasses.

A comprehensive eye exam, including questions about a person’s computer use habits is the first step.  If we determine that vision correction for computer use is required, we can prescribe computer lenses that are designed to improve your vision in the 18” – 28” range, the optimal distance between your eyes and the computer monitor.

Visual Difficulties after Brain Injury (Video)

Vision problems are among the most common problems associated with acquired brain injuries.   Causes of brain injury can include trauma, auto accidents, suffocation, drug reaction and strokes.  Initially symptoms may be subtle but often become more of a concern with time. Specific problems can include poor memory, disorientation, loss of reading skills or poor word recall.

Common visual symptoms after brain injury include:

• Double vision
• Headaches
• Blurry vision
• Dizziness or nausea
• Attention or concentration difficulties
• Staring behavior (low blink rate)
• Spatial disorientation
• Lose place when reading
• Can't find beginning of next line when reading
• Comprehension problems when reading
• Visual memory problems
• Pulling away from objects when they are brought close

Unfortunately conventional ophthalmological treatment for these difficulties is many times limited.  I have seen a number of patients told to cover one eye with a patch if they have double vision!!  Others with slow reading speed have been told to get books on tape!!  Some with attention and concentration difficulties are told to just accept it.

These difficulties can often be helped through the use of specialized lenses/prisms and/or optometric vision therapy.  If you have concerns for yourself or a relative, give me a call so we can discuss it further.


--James B. Mayer, OD, FCOVD
     Agape Learning & Optometry Center
     Thousand Oaks, CA

Back To School Eye Exams

SOME STATS . . . .
Can you believe that 50% of all kids in the U.S. have never received a comprehensive vision exam???  Many have vision problems that have never been addressed.  Some have eye health issues.  Others have visual skill deficits such a tracking or convergence difficulties.  This is especially troubling because 80% of what kids learn come through their eyes.  Problems can impact school performance.  In fact, 25% of kids have a problem which interferes with their learning.

VISION PROBLEMS & BEHAVIOR . . . . .
Did you know that many kids diagnosed with ADHD or ADD actually have vision problems?  Attention and concentration can improve tremendously with a eye exam!!  CAVEAT - I always do tests for tracking and convergence - others don't.  Vision screenings at school and the pediatrician are especially poor.  I have parents tell me routinely their child passed the school screening despite having problems with tracking and/or convergence.

FREQUENCY . . . . . .
Eyes are as important as teeth, especially with academics!!  Be sure to have yearly eye exams.  They provide peace of mind in our hectic society.

--James B. Mayer, OD, FCOVD
     Agape Learning & Optometry Center

ADHD? Poor concentration? (video)

More than 1 million children may be misdiagnosed as ADHD!!  This news video comes from Minnesota.  Dr. Lori Mowbray demonstrates some optometric in-office vision therapy procedures used in the treatment of convergence insufficiency (CI). 

If this sounds like your child, give us a call.  There is no reason to suffer with this problem when it can be fixed relatively easily.

--James B. Mayer, OD, FCOVD
   Agape Learning & Optometry Center
   Thousand Oaks, CA  91360
   (805)495 3937

Slow reading speed? Loss of concentration?

Studies from the National Eye Institute of the National Institutue of Health indicate approximately 5% of the school population has a condition called Convergence Insufficiency (CI).  That means for a local school district like ours, there will be approximately 1000 children with CI.  Treatment is based on symptoms.  The most common symptoms are:
     1) Slow reading speed
     2) Loss of place when reading
     3) Loss of concentration when reading
     4) Eye strain
     5) Headaches
     6) Blurry vision
     7) Double vision

If your child does have CI, in-office optometric vision therapy has been proven to provide the highest success rate.  In order to pinpoint the problem, give us a call.

--James B. Mayer, OD, FCOVD
     Agape Learning & Optometry Center
     Thousand Oaks, CA  91360
     (805) 495 3937