Protecting Your Child's Eyesight

Your child can have perfect 20/20 eyesight, but can still have vision problems that interfere with his or her ability to read, to learn and to concentrate.

Do you know a child who has been labeled lazy, a slow learner, a slow reader, a behavioral problem or working below his or her potential?

Or one who is dyslexic or has attention deficit problems? These can all be signs of undetected vision problems. How can this be?

Good vision involves much more than seeing the bottom line on the eye chart clearly. The eyes need to do much more to function effectively and properly. For example, they have to work together, they have to move easily and quickly and the brain has to process the visual information effortlessly. The sad fact is that most of these problems go undetected, and even worse, can contribute to learning disabilities or behavior problems.

The College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) warns that when vision problems go undetected, students have trouble reading and doing schoolwork, and they often display fatigue, fidgeting, and frustration. An estimated 70 percent of school-age children who have a learning disability in reading have some sort of undetected visual problem, according to COVD. If your child regularly experiences any of the symptoms below, it's highly recommended that their vision be tested by a behavioral optometrist - eye doctors specially trained to uncover and treat undetected vision problems.

PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS

-Red, sore, or itching eyes

-Jerky eye movements, one eye turns in or out

-Squinting, eye rubbing, or excessive blinking

-Blurred or double vision

-Headaches, dizziness, or nausea after reading

-Head tilting, closing or blocking one eye when reading

PERFORMANCE-RELATED SYMPTOMS

-Avoidance of near work

-Frequent loss of place

-Omits, inserts, or rereads letters/words

-Confuses similar looking words

-Failure to recognize the same word in the next sentence

BEHAVIOR RELATED SYMPTOMS

-Smart in everything but schoolwork

-Low self-esteem, poor self image

-Temper flare-ups, aggressiveness

-Frequent crying

-Short attention span

-Irritability

-Day dreaming

Of course, some of these symptoms can have non-vision related causes: that's why a thorough examination by a behavioral optometrist is so important. An excellent resource to help you understand more about your child's vision is Parents Active for Vision Education pavevision.org. Also, Your Child's Vision, by Dr. Richard Kavner is the most comprehensive book I've seen on this important issue.

Remember, there's more to vision than meets the eye!

Martin Sussman is the founder and president of the Cambridge Institute for Better Vision, the world's leader in providing natural solutions for eye care for the last 30 years. The Read Without Glasses Method is based on a technique originally developed by eye doctor, Dr. Ray Gottlieb. You can find out more about the Read Without Glasses Method at http://www.withoutglasses.com For a complete listing of all the eye exercise and vision improvement materials offered by the Cambridge Institute, visit http://www.bettervision.com

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