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Focus on Back to School


Poor Eyesight Can Lead to Bad Grades


One in every four school-aged kids has an undiagnosed vision problem that interferes with learning, according to the Vision Council of America (VCA). Nearly 80 percent of what a child learns is obtained visually. Research indicates that 70 percent of the two million school-aged children who have difficulty in reading have some form of visual impairment, such as ocular motor, perceptual or binocular dysfunction.

"If a child is struggling in school, it is important that a parent consider his or her vision," says Dr. Joel Zaba, a Virginia Beach, Va. optometrist and researcher. "While there are several reasons why a child may not perform well academically, it's clear that vision has a great impact on how much and/or how quickly a child learns.”

Getting an Eye Exam
Despite the compelling statistics, less than half of the parents surveyed by VCA had taken their child for a comprehensive eye exam in the past year. Forty-one percent of those polled believed that a simple vision screening was sufficient in detecting vision problems. Research shows, however, that the simple vision screening, commonly used by a pediatrician or a school nurse, detects only five percent of all vision problems. Simple vision screenings can offer early indications of problems relating to distance vision, but often screenings miss other critical vision deficiencies that can impact eye health and a child's performance in the classroom.

"We recommend that all students have a regular, comprehensive eye exam," says Professor Sally L. Smith, founder and director of The Lab School of Washington. "A child may not realize that there is a problem and that everyone doesn't see the same way he or she does. School can be difficult enough. As parents and educators, we owe it to our children to address vision problems before they negatively impact academic performance."

A comprehensive eye exam given by an eyecare professional is considered the most reliable and accurate method of diagnosing and treating vision problems. It evaluates eye health and key visual skills essential to learning, such as using both of the eyes as a team, the ability for the eyes to focus properly when reading a book or viewing a computer screen and the ability for the eyes to move properly when reading across a page of print.

Warning Signs
Does your child have a vision problem? Keep your eyes open for these common warning signs as recommended by the VCA:

  • Consistently sitting too close to the TV or holding a book too close.
  • Closing one eye to read, watch TV or see better.
  • When reading, frequently loses place, skips words or whole lines of text.
  • Reverses words, numbers or letters.
  • Squinting.
  • Tilting head to see better.
  • Frequent eye rubbing.
  • Excessive tearing.
  • Complaining of headaches or tired eyes.
  • Dropping grades in school.


VCA is offering a free brochure and a self-test to determine if a child or other family member may be in need of a comprehensive eye exam. Consumers can get more information via VCA's Web site at www.checkyearly.com.

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