Vision Problems and Learning Difficulties

Learning is accomplished through complex and inter-related processes.  Your eyes and the visual system grow and develop from the brain, making vision a fundamental factor in thinking and learning.  Therefore, it is important that the issues regarding vision and learning are well understood by schools and health professionals to enable early detection and treatment.

Vision plays a key role in the classroom and in a child's ability to master the major skills in reading, spelling, writing, copying from the board and working on computers.  Each of these tasks require the visual skills of being able to scan information for meaning, adaptive focusing skills, and visual coordination and all at varying distances. Many students do not have visual skills that are developed enough to tackle each of these learning situations effectively.  Poorly developed vision skills may result in learning becoming more difficult and stressful and the child may display this in one or more of the following ways: 

•             Avoidance of near work
•             Perseverance with schoolwork                 but with reduced understanding
•             Fidgeting, fatigue and short                   attention span
•             Frequent blinking and rubbing              of  eyes

But my child has 20/20 eyesight............Most children do in fact, have 20/20 eyesight and pass school screenings.  School screenings play a valuable part in identifying any sight issues that your child may be having, but they are a screening only.  They don't test whether the child can maintain clear and single vision up close as they have to do with activities such as reading and writing.  By understanding and being able to recognise the signs and symptoms of learning related vision problems you can act early to eliminate this obstruction to learning.

It is important to note that vision problems do not 'cause' learning disabilities. But, poor visual skills can interfere with the learning process and impede any remedial efforts.  Vision is a foundation skill and without a solid base any learning undertaken will be much harder and done in an ineffecient manner.  Good vision skills are essential to support learning.

Source: Australasian College of Behavioural Optometry