Published Academic Articles

The Importance of Regular Eye Exams to Your Child’s Learning

With the school year well underway and the holidays approaching, the last thing you probably want to think about is trying to fit an eye exam into your busy schedule. However, if in the chaos of back-to-school shopping and activities you forgot to get your child’s eyes checked, it’s essential that you do so now.

The majority of people are very visual learners; in fact, approximately 80% of learning is done with the eyes. This means that children who have vision problems are at a great disadvantage and, ultimately, their learning will suffer if the problems aren’t addressed.

Why School Eye Screenings Aren’t Enough

While it’s true that most schools do vision screenings at the beginning of the school year and many pediatricians will do an eye screening during an annual well check, it’s important not to rely on these types of vision screenings. Despite what some parents may think, screenings are not the same in scope as a visual examination you would receive from an optometrist or NeuroVisual Specialist. In fact, screenings performed by clinics and schools only catch a small percentage of vision issues – just 25% according to the American Optometric Association. Since many children with vision problems don’t even realize they have poor vision, parents and teachers generally can’t rely on the children to make them aware of the situation.

Why a NeuroVisual Examination Is Essential

While a routine eye exam performed by a regular eye doctor is very useful in testing your child’s visual acuity and identifying specific eye diseases, a NeuroVisual Examination is much more comprehensive. This type of evaluation checks for shadowed or double vision and assesses how well your child’s eyes work together as a team.

This type of testing is extremely important, as many children struggle with reading and other learning difficulties as a result of their eyes being out of sync with each other. This type of issue, known as Binocular Vision Dysfunction (BVD), is due to a misalignment of the eyes (most often very subtle), which is something most optometrists cannot find with routine testing. If you have a child who’s failing to thrive in school, it’s possible he or she may have this condition. As such, it’s critical to have your child evaluated by a NeuroVisual Specialist.

Schedule an Appointment at Vision Specialists of Michigan

If you need to schedule an eye exam for your child, make sure you take the time to do so now. If you have further concerns and feel a more extensive examination is necessary, your best bet is to contact Vision Specialists of Michigan. Give us a call at (248) 258-9000 to learn more about Binocular Vision Dysfunction and the micro-prism lenses we use to correct the eye misalignments that cause the condition.