Hope Clinic Works with Educators!
20/20 Sight Does Not Always Equal Good Vision
Lisa Knopp, COVT,
Educator and Lead Vision Therapist
How Vision Can Affect the Classroom
Vision is more than seeing 20/20. Students rely on eye teaming, focusing, tracking, and visual processing to read, write, copy from the board, and maintain attention during schoolwork.
When these skills are inefficient, teachers may notice:
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Losing place or skipping lines while reading
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Slow reading or reduced comprehension
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Difficulty copying from the board
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Headaches, eye strain, or visual fatigue
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Avoidance of reading or close work
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Difficulty shifting focus between desk and board
These signs do not automatically mean a child has a vision problem, but if they are persistent, a functional vision evaluation can help determine whether vision is contributing to the student's difficulties.
When Classroom Behaviors May Have a Visual Component
Students who struggle in the classroom are sometimes described as inattentive, dyslexic, unmotivated, or easily distracted. Those concerns may be valid, but some of the same behaviors can also occur when a child is having difficulty with visual skills such as eye teaming, focusing, tracking, or visual processing.
Educators can play an important role by noticing patterns and helping families determine whether additional evaluation may be appropriate.
Signs to Watch For
Here are just some of the symptoms of ADD/ADHD and Dyslexia that are also symptoms of a Vision Disorder:
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Displays short attention span in reading or copying
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Avoids all possible near-centered tasks
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Shows gross postural deviations at all desk activities
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Complaints of headaches, other aches, and ‘excuses’ seemingly to avoid academic work
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Comprehension reduces as reading continued: loses interest too quickly
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Frequently omits words, repeatedly omits ‘small’ words
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Omits letter, numbers or phrases when reading
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Repeats letters within words
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Misaligns both horizontal and vertical series of numbers
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Repeatedly confuses left-right directions
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Mistakes words with same or similar beginnings
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Reverses letters and/or words in writing and copying
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Confuses same word in same sentence
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Repeatedly confuses similar beginnings and endings of words
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Makes errors in copying from reference book to notebook