Although there are many possible reasons that your child may struggle with reading, vision is often a key factor in childhood learning limitations. Your child’s vision is a crucial tool for success in school, and if their vision suffers, so does their schoolwork. If left untreated, vision complications will affect learning ability and potential. Here are common symptoms associated with vision-related reading issues:
1. Losing their place while reading
Some tracking issues are normal in the early stages of reading, but these should disappear within the first few months of learning to read. If your child is always losing his or her place when reading or has to always use their finger to “follow along,” they may have a vision-related reading issue.
2. Confusing letters or reversing words
Does your child often confuse “b’s” or “d’s” or even “p’s?” Or successfully read a word
on one page only to say that word incorrectly just a few sentences later? This is a common vision and reading problem.
3. Love being read to, but not reading
If your child can comprehend all the material he or she hears while being read to, but can’t comprehend the material he or she is reading alone, this could be a sign of a vision issue.
4. Extreme fatigue while reading
If your child avoids visually stimulating work such as the computer, homework, coloring, or up-close activities, and especially if he or she is complaining about their eyes being “tired” this could be a sign of a vision-related problem. Falling asleep while reading, or rubbing their eyes after reading for a short time, signals an ability to sustain reading skills that is less than ideal.
Comprehensive Eye Exam
If your child exhibits any of the above symptoms, schedule an appointment with an optometrist immediately. The first step in evaluating your child’s possible vision-related learning issue is to have a complete exam, ruling out any health, corrective, or clarity vision issues. Screening tests will be done at that time to determine if further reading-related visual skills testing is needed. Visiting an optometrist will determine if your child has:
- Myopia (nearsightedness)
- Hyperopia (farsightedness)
- Astigmatism (blurred vision)
- Other ocular complications
Vision Therapy
If your child has any other ocular issues that can’t be corrected with regular eyeglass or contact lenses, vision therapy is a great option. Performed in an optometrist’s office, vision therapy involves performing special tasks to correct vision disorders. This might include corrective lenses, prism lenses, computer tasks, focusing exercises, or eye movement tasks.
Over time, completing vision therapy exercises helps to retrain the eyes and brain to work together more effectively. Vision therapy can correct many of the problems that lead to reading and writing difficulty, resulting in improved academic performance and better visual attention.
Insightful Eyecare
At Complete Eye Care of Medina, we value your family’s health. Together, we can treat your child’s vision-problems so they can focus on what they’re supposed to be doing: being a kid. Call us today at 763-478-3505 or visit us online at completeeyecareofmedina.com to schedule your child’s eye exam.