Undiagnosed Vision Problems Severely Affect Students' Ability to Learn

Millions of children go to school with a vision problem that may inhibit their ability to learn and ultimately affect the rest of their lives. One of the most important things that a parent can do to ensure their child’s ability to learn is uninhibited, is to take them for an eye exam. The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends comprehensive eye exams especially for children each year before entering school.

Proper vision detection and correction in young children may affect much more than their ability to see clearly. Without a comprehensive eye exam by an Optometrist, many children have vision problems that can go undiagnosed, and may even be misdiagnosed as a learning disorder. A study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology, demonstrated that test scores of preschool aged children who had refractive vision problems (hyperopia, astigmatism), were lower than those who did not. Within 6 weeks of wearing corrective lenses, the childrens’ test scores improved significantly.ⁱ

Comprehensive vision exams for children are best performed by a children's eye doctor with specialized training in Pediatric Optometry. Specialized equipment and procedures, which are not available as part of a vision screening, or general eye exam, are needed to adequately evaluate a child’s eyes and visual skills.

Dr. Brisco says that, "An early comprehensive eye exam evaluates a child’s vision, eye teaming skills, and tracking skills as well as eye health and need for glasses. It’s a good way to avoid problems later on in life".

Children entering preschool or kindergarten benefit tremendously from comprehensive eye exams though they rarely receive them early enough. Currently, 8 out of 10 children under the age of six have not received a comprehensive eye exam, according to the U.S. Center for Health Statistics. Vision impairments in children of this age can be detected through an eye exam and are typically easy to correct.

An eye exam will help correct common children's vision problems, such as nearsightedness and farsightedness as well as more serious conditions such as amblyopia, commonly known as lazy eye. Amblyopia or lazy eye affects about 5-8 percent of children nationwide. The condition is treatable and preventable if detected early. The lack of early eye care has allowed amblyopia to escape detection, and it remains the leading cause of visual impairment in Americans over 40.

"Children usually do not recognize that they have a vision problem," says Dr. Brisco, “since they cannot compare how they see to anyone else. However, there are proven methods for full eye exams that can be done for even young children who cannot read an eye chart. We can tell how a child is seeing by objectively measuring the power of their eyes without them having to tell us what they see.” Taking your child to an eye doctor for a comprehensive eye exam is one of the best preventive measures you can take to ensure that they have the vision, visual motor and perceptual skills needed for school, since 80% of what children learn is obtained through the visual system.

i Anne-Catherine Roch-Levecq, PhD; Barbara L. Brody, MPH; Ronald G. Thomas, PhD; Stuart I. Brown, MD. Ametropia, Preschoolers' Cognitive Abilities, and Effects of Spectacle Correction. Archives of Ophthalmology 2008; 126(2):252-258