Life demands more than 20/20

In order for children to learn well, they need to see well. Parents may not realize there is more to good vision than 20/20 and that there are conditions that vision screenings can miss. Two optometrists conducted a visual experiment where common visual problems known to affect learning in kids are simulated in 4 adult teachers, and their experience and reaction are discussed.

 

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Eye tracking problems and reading - pursuits and saccades

Some students have reading problems because their eyes cannot properly track the words on the page.

There are two types of basic movements that eyes make when reading.  The first type is called a pursuit.  Imagine a baseball field, imagine the pitcher throwing the ball to the batter.  As the batter's eye follows the ball, the eye is performing a pursuit.

The second type of eye movement that is critical to reading is a saccade.  In baseball, if you quickly look from fist base to second base to third base, that is a saccadic eye movement.  To read properly, your eyes must have very precise and accurate pursuit and saccadic eye movements.  People with problems with pursuits and saccades often miss words, loose their place when reading and have to re-read sentences.

Problems with pursuits and saccades can be effectively treated with vision therapy.


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Vision Therapy improves reading comprehension and overall classroom attention

A study of  students with below average reading scores found that providing visual attention therapy can significantly improve their attention and reading comprehension.  Visual attention is one component of a group of skills related to visual information processing- the way the brain takes in and makes sense of the images received by the eye.

The developmental optometrists at ourVancouver eye clinic have witnessed this improvement first hand.  Kids who hate reading, can't do it very well and read a below grade level have improved following therapy to become kids who love reading and often can read at above grade level! Read more...

If your child has reading problems, treatable vision and eye movement disorders may be the reason

The evidence on eye problems associated with reading difficulties and learning problems continues to accumulate.  At our Vancouver eye and vision clinic, we treat many students with eye movement and vision problems who are struggling in school and who read below grade lever.

We use ocular motor therapy, vision therapy and eye-brain rehabilitation to get both eyes working together properly.  Often the students who we treat experience a huge jump in their reading abilities, improving by 4 or five reading levels following therapy.

A new study entitled Association between reading speed, cycloplegic refractive error, and oculomotor function in reading disabled children versus controls published in the May 2012 issue of the journal Graefes Archives of Clinical Experimental Ophthalmology adds to the evidence of the connection between eye and vision problems and learning.

The researchers were struck by the fact that in Ontario, Canada, approximately one in ten students aged 6 to 16 in Ontario have an individual education plan (IEP) in place because of various learning disabilities.  May of those learning problems were specific to reading.   They wanted to investigate the relationship between reading vision problems and binocular vision problems.

The researchers measured the visual acuity and eye movement measurements of students that had an IEP and compared those results with students in a regular education program.

The researchers found that the IEP group had significantly greater hyperopia, compared to the control group on cycloplegic examination. Vergence facility was significantly correlated to (i) reading
speed, (ii) number of eye movements made when reading, and (iii) a standardized symptom scoring system. Vergence facility was also significantly reduced in the IEP group versus controls. Significant differences in several other binocular vision related scores were also found.

Here is the study's conclusion:

This research indicates there are significant associations between reading speed, refractive error, and in particular vergence facility. It appears sensible that students being considered for reading specific IEP status should have a full eye examination (including cycloplegia), in addition to a comprehensive binocular vision evaluation.

82% of teachers report an improvement in students who had vision therapy

At study published in the Journal of Behavioral Optometry surveyed 150 teachers in Michigan through an online survey.  The purpose was to examine the perceptions of teachers concerning the connection between vision problem detection, academic achievement and vision therapy intervention.

The survey found that 86% of teachers had recommended at least one child for a comprehensive vision examination. Squinting was the most common reason for the recommendation.

81.9% of teachers reported witnessing improvement in students who had undergone vision therapy and  most participants (86%) believed that the state or federal government should enact a mandatory comprehensive eye examination program.

The result is not surprising because it is consistent with what we hear form parents and teachers of vision therapy patients we have had in our clinic  Many of them tell us that vision therapy has changed the child's life!  The result is also expected from all the studies that have been done on vision therapy and its impact on academic performance.

Related articles:

More visual symptoms means lower academic performacne ... - See For Life

Feb 29, 2012

In a study published in 2006 in the journal, Optometry, researchers set out to determine whether there was an association between vision-related quality-of-life factors and academic performance. To answer the question, the ...

http://seeforlife.blogspot.com/

Vision therapy for convergence insufficiency improves academic performance ...

Jan 16, 2012

We now have a study that confirms that academic behaviours, as measured by the Academic Behavior Survey (ABS), improve following successful treatment of convergence insufficiency. The study was published in the ...

http://seeforlife.blogspot.com/

82% of teachers report an improvement in students  after vision therapy - See For Life

Jun 16, 2012

between vision problem detection, academic achievement and vision therapy intervention. ... The result is also expected from all the studies that have been done on vision therapy and its impact on academic performance.

http://seeforlife.blogspot.com/

Binocular vision dysfunctions ate my homework - See For Life

Mar 31, 2012

Most developmental optometrists have stories of patients whose academic behaviours and performance have improved following vision therapy treatment of their binocular vision problems. Research studies have shown the ...

http://seeforlife.blogspot.com/

Study proves that vision problems interfere with learning - See For Life

Apr 25, 2012

The researchers (consisting of professors of optometry and occupational therapy), set out to compare visual and visual-information processing skills between children with and without mild reading and academic problems and ...

http://seeforlife.blogspot.com/

Vision therapy for visual attention skills significantly improves reading comprehension

The connection between vision and reading is well known to optometrists, all of whom study visual information processing (sometimes called visual skills) in optometry school along with treatments like vision therapy for deficiencies in visual imformation processing skills.

That body of knowledge is often not taught to other health professionals.  This makes it important to frequently talk about studies that prove the connection between visual skills and reading so that patients get the information they need to get the right help for themselves or their children who, although intelligent, have difficualty learning, reading or doing schoolwork efficiently. Researchers have commented that patients should be referred to an optometrist for assessment of visual information processing deficits because other professionals are likely to not test for them (see page 234 of this article from the journal NeuroReahbilitation).

Many people may be mistakenly diagnosed for learning disabilities or ADHD when the problem is actually a visual one.  At the very least, people who are suspected of ADHD or learning disabilities should see a developmental optometrist to be tested for visual information processing deficits to ensure that they are being treated for the right disorder.

One study on the connection between visual attention skills and reading was conducted by Harold A. Sloan, John Shelley-Tremblay, Anthony Ficarra, Michael Silverman, and Steven Larson and published in the Journal of Learning Disabilities in 2003.

In the study 15 moderately disabled readers received 12 hours of vision attention therapy. Significant improvement in reading comprehension and attention scores were seen in the group who received therapy, but not in the control group who received no therapy.

Here is the abstract that was published the the study:

This study quantified the influence of visual attention therapy on the reading comprehension of Grade 6 children with moderate reading disabilities (RD) in the absence of specific reading remediation. Thirty students with below-average reading scores were identified using standardized reading comprehension tests. Fifteen children were placed randomly in the experimental group and 15 in the control group. The Attention Battery of the Cognitive Assessment System was administered to all participants. The experimental group received 12 one-hour sessions of individually monitored, computer-based attention therapy programs; the control group received no therapy during their 12-week period. Each group was retested on attention and reading comprehension measures. In order to stimulate selective and sustained visual attention, the vision therapy stressed various aspects of arousal, activation, and vigilance. At the completion of attention therapy, the mean standard attention and reading comprehension scores of the experimental group had improved significantly. The control group, however, showed no significant improvement in reading comprehension scores after 12 weeks. Although uncertainties still exist, this investigation supports the notion that visual attention is malleable and that attention therapy has a significant effect on reading comprehension in this often neglected population.

The study is evidence of the connection between visual attention skills and reading ability as well as the efficacy of vision therapy in treating visual attention deficits and achieving a corresponding improvement in reading ability.