These are vision problems that directly interfere with learning. Physical symptoms of learning-related vision problems include headaches, eye strain, and double vision, however, the visual symptoms are more subtle and less often noticed.
Visual symptoms
You may need an eye doctor that specializes in developmental or functional vision to properly diagnose a learning-related vision issue, but there are some signs that you can watch for, even if they have had an eye exam and have been told their eyesight is perfect
- When a child is holding the book really close to their face
- When reading, the child frequently moves their head instead of just moving their eyes
- When a child has to keep a finger under the words or a ruler or a bookmark to help them keep place
- A child whose reading pace is slower, whose fluency may be below what is expected for their grade or age
- A child who has very poor reading comprehension
- A child who has poor handwriting and has trouble copying from the board, for example they may be able to copy something from their desk to the paper in front of them but not to go back and forth from the board.
- When a child has difficulty sustaining attention on tasks requiring visual attention, it is possible that a vision problem is the underlying cause.
- A child who is having difficulty focusing can become frustrated, which leads to fidgeting and irritability. These symptoms can both be caused by other disorders, such as ADHD, so if your child exhibits either, you should take them for a functional vision exam so the cause of the problem can be identified before any type of treatment is provided.
- It is also possible that a child, who is having difficulty focusing on what they are reading, will reverse letters (this can be caused by an underlying vision issue or dyslexia)
- A child may skip lines or skip words when reading
Learning related vision problems are extremely common
Therefore, if your child is experiencing any of these symptoms or if you're a teacher and see these symptoms in your students, we highly recommend that they have a developmental eye examination to determine if they are actually suffering from a vision related learning problem, which can be treated effectively by vision therapy.
