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1 in 4 Children in the United States May Have Vision Problems That Could Impact Learning

28th July, 2010 - Posted by Dr. S. Barry Eiden - No Comments

One In Four US Children May Have Vision Problems That Could Impair Learning, AOA Says.

Here is a report regarding vision and learning that was printed in a St. Louis newspaper based on information from the American Optometric Association:

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch(7/27, Sultan) reports, “One in four children in the US have undetected vision problems which could impair learning, according to the American Optometric Association.” Because “approximately 80 percent of learning comes through a child’s eye,” some experts believe that sending children “to school without good vision could be setting them up for failure or even cause them to be misdiagnosed with a learning disability.” The AOA recommends that school-aged children have “an eye exam every two years if no vision correction is required. Children who need eyeglasses or contact lenses should be examined annually or as recommended by their optometrist.”

At North Suburban Vision Consultants our director of pediatric eye care, Dr. Darin Strako states that “often we see children come to our practice with 20/20 visual acuity yet suffer from vision problems that interfere with learning in school. Issues such as binocular vision dysfunction, accommodative or dynamic focusing problems, eye muscle movements, and visual perceptual problems all can negatively impact learning even in the presence of 20/20 visual acuity.” Dr. Strako suggests that all children receive an initial comprehensive eye and vision examination between the ages of 3 and 5 or earlier if a parent suspects eye or vision issues.

Dr. Darin Strako - director of pediatric eye care at North Suburban Vision Consultants, Ltd.