A child of school age has high visual demands, and when they are unable to meet these demands, they can face a variety of challenges, including challenges with self-esteem. It is not uncommon for these difficulties to be overlooked or misdiagnosed, but very often the underlying cause is a deficit in the child's visual system. Dr. McBryar has extensive experience diagnosing and treating visual challenges that go beyond what one can read from an eye chart.
Academic difficulties
In her practice as a developmental and behavioral optometrist, Dr. Heather McBryar FCOVD is more concerned about the child that the eyeballs belong to than the eyeballs themselves.
In addition to clinical findings and medical diagnoses, vision has a profound impact on people.
Dr. McBryar notices that when examining children with academic difficulties, they tend to compare themselves to their peers. Perhaps they will notice that other children are able to read aloud more comfortably or are able to complete assignments more quickly.
When children compare themselves to their peers, they start to believe that they are less smart since they cannot read at the same level or perform at the same level, which could be due to an underlying vision problem.
The joy of acquiring skills and renewed confidence
One of the most rewarding things about detecting an underlying vision problem and treating it is watching the changes that occur in the child, in their self-confidence, and in their realization that they are as smart as their peers and as capable as their peers and that it was only their vision interfering with their performance.
