If your child has difficulty reading, they could have vision problems!
It can be. A struggling child is devastating for any parent. If their grades are slipping and those parent teacher conferences are disheartening, it’s time to assess the issue. If your child is having difficulty reading and learning in the classroom, it could be problems with visual acuity, visual fixation, accommodation, binocular fusion, convergence, field of vision, or perception. All of which affect your child’s uniform eye movement and visual focusing ability. Poor classroom marks and performance can be extremely emotionally distressing for your child. Scheduling a vision test will answer all your questions concerning their poor performance. Today, we’ll take a more detailed look at visual; impairments that could be affecting your child’s reading abilities.
Visual Acuity and Fixation
Visual acuity refers to how accurately the eyes render an image. In a typical vision screening, your child will be asked to read a chart from 10-20 feet away. Visual acuity is a concern if they have trouble deciphering characters. Similarly, visual fixation refers to the ability to aim the eyes, simultaneously, in the correct direction. Focus on a specific word on a page is an example of functional visual fixation. Reading a line of print require accurate fixation, as the eye scans across an isolated line of text.
Binocular Fusion
Binocular fusion is the neurological ability gathered from each eye, and present it as one image. Sometimes, signals from the brain don’t read one eye, and the image the eyes render it blurry and unclear. With double vision and blurring comes confusion and avoidance. They definitely won’t be able to read lines of text with such a visual impairment.
Accommodation and Convergence
Accommodation refers to the eyes’ ability to adjust the eyes as distance between an individual and an object changes. If you child complains of not being able to see the chalkboard, it could be an issue with distance adjustment. Convergence is the ability to shift eyes towards each other to focus object that are extremely close. Looking at their textbook is extremely difficult with an eye convergence problem.
Concerned Your Child Has Trouble Reading? Schedule A Vision Test Today!
Pediatric Eye Care of Maryland takes your eye health very seriously. With a full staff of highly skilled Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, and Orthoptists we’ve got ocular health covered. If you feel any concern about your vision, have questions concerning eye health, or need information on the services we offer contact us today. With 4 convenient locations in Maryland, we are your number one choice for eye treatment.