Vision Therapy | Montenare Eye Care & Vision Therapy

VISION & LEARNING

Is Vision Important for Learning?

Did you know that 80% of learning comes through your vision? In addition to seeing clearly ("20/20" vision), a child must also have excellent visual efficiency skills to be successful in school and sports.

Unfortunately, it is estimated that 5 million children in the U.S. have visual disorders that cause them to struggle in school despite the best interventions.

Visual Efficiency Skills

Beyond seeing clearly (i.e., having "20/20" vision), efficiency skills are those visual functions that are needed to perform everyday tasks with ease and automaticity. Some examples include scanning the room ("eye tracking") or catching a ball ("eye-hand coordination"). In most children, these skills develop naturally, but in some children they are delayed which causes stress and frustration.

Visual efficiency skills are divided into four categories:

Oculomotor
Accommodation
Vergence
Visual Perception

Oculomotor

Oculomotor skills ("eye tracking") are basic eye movements from target to target. Having accurate oculomotor skills is fundamental to activities like reading, sports, or driving. These skills are divided into the following three categories:

Fixation - the ability to keep a steady gaze on a non-moving target
Saccades - the ability to shift gaze from target to target
Smooth Pursuit - the ability to follow a moving target

In reading, we make a series of fixations and saccades. During a fixation (when the eyes are still), your visual system is processing what the word is. During a saccade (when the eyes "jump"), your visual system is processing where the next word is. This process of fixation and saccades will repeat itself over and over in the act of reading. If done efficiently, then reading will be fluent and enjoyable. If not, then reading will be "choppy" and comprehension will decline.

Signs of oculomotor dysfunction include:

Loses place often when reading
Skips words or lines frequently
Often uses a finger to keep place
Poor reading fluency ("choppy reading")
Poor reading comprehension
Prefers audio books

Difficulty following a moving target
Avoids sports (especially ones with balls)
Clumsy or often bumps into things
Inattentive or easily distracted
Possibly misdiagnosed with ADHD

Accommodation

Accommodation ("eye focusing") is the ability to alter focus from a distant to a near target (and vice-versa). On the inside of the eye, we have a small muscle called the ciliary muscle. Like any other muscle in the body, this muscle can either relax or contract. When you want to focus on something in the distance, the ciliary muscle must relax. But when you want to focus on something up close, the muscle must contract.

In most people, accommodation occurs automatically. The muscle is able to sustain focus on a near target for extended periods of time without getting strained or fatigued. However, in some people, accommodation does not work very well. This is called accommodative dysfunction which may cause strain on your eyes.

The four types of accommodative dysfunction are:

Accommodative insufficiency - the inability to make a near-target clear due to under-focusing
Accommodative excess - the inability to make a near-target clear due to a spasm of focusing
Accommodative infacility - the inability to make rapid change in focus from near-to-far (and vice versa)
Ill-Sustained Accommodation - the inability to maintain focus for extended periods of time

During the act of reading, the visual system must use continuous accommodation to keep the words in focus. If there is an accommodative dysfunction, the words may go blurry or the child may experience eyestrain.

Signs of accommodative dysfunction include:

Near vision blur
Eyestrain when reading
Headaches during sustained near work (e.g., reading or homework)
Difficulty taking notes
Rubs eyes excessively
Poor reading fluency

Vergence

Vergence ("eye teaming") is the ability to keep the eyes in alignment and maintain binocular vision. It allows us to see space in three dimensions and to locate objects that are near or far. There are two normal types of vergence movements: convergence and divergence. Convergence is when both eyes turn inward toward the nose as though you were looking at something close to you in space (e.g., a book). Divergence is when both eyes turn outward into a parallel position as though you were looking at something far away (e.g., the smart board).

In most people, vergence occurs automatically. However, in some people, the vergence system is inaccurate or gets tired very quickly. This is called a vergence dysfunction which may cause strain on your eyes.

The four types of vergence dysfunction are:

Convergence insufficiency - when the eyes do not cross inward enough (under-alignment)
Convergence excess - when the eyes cross inward too much (over-alignment)
Vergence infacility - when the eyes get tired alternating between convergence and divergence
Fusional vergence dysfunction - when the eyes have a general instability in maintaining alignment

During the act of reading, the visual system must use continuous vergence to keep the words clear and single. If the eyes go into misalignment, the words may appear blurry, double, or even like they're "moving" on the page.

In some cases, the eyes may disassociate completely, which causes one eye to drift in or out. This is called a strabismus and is considered a severe type of vergence dysfunction.

Esotropia = when the eye turns inward

Exotropia = when the eye turns outward

Signs of vergence dysfunction include:

Double vision
Sensation that words move on the page
Eye strain or headaches when reading
Closes one eye frequently
Bumps into things and/or lack of coordination (i.e. poor spatial sense)
Motion or car sickness

Visual Perception

Visual perceptual skills are used to analyze, discriminate, and memorize visual information. It also includes the ability to see directional relationships (e.g., left and right) and to integrate with the motor systems ("eye-hand coordination").

In most children, visual perceptual skills develop naturally. Children learn how to process what they see and interpret it for meaning and action. However, in some children, visual perceptual skills may be delayed or not developing appropriately. This is called a visual information processing dysfunction and it may cause difficulties with reading and learning.

There are three main types of visual perceptual skills:

Visual analysis - the ability to analyze, discriminate, and memorize visual information
Visual spatial - the ability to interpret directional relationships (e.g., left and right)
Visual-motor - the ability to coordinate the visual and motor systems (eye-hand coordination)

It is estimated that 80% of learning comes through vision. That is why it is so important that children develop appropriate visual perceptual skills. A delay in any of these areas will have a significant impact on your child's ability to read, learn, and play sports. This, in turn, may cause stress and low self-esteem.

Signs of a visual perceptual deficit include:

Struggles with reading and learning
Trouble discriminating shapes or colors
Trouble finding similarities or differences
Difficulty learning letters, numbers, or words
Poor visual memory
Poor spelling (especially sight words)

Slow at processing new visual information
Difficulty "visualizing" a picture
Confuses left and right
Reverses letters, numbers, or words
Poor eye-hand coordination
Poor handwriting or fine motor control

<< Back to Top