Many common vision problems develop during childhood. Poor eyesight during a child’s formative years can hinder learning and development. In today’s post, Innovative Eyecare, your eyeglasses specialist, discusses the link between a child’s visual health and learning capacity in today’s post.
How Your Eyes and Brain Work Together
Light rays bounce off an object across your visual field and pass through the cornea. The received light then enters an opening called the pupil. Afterward, the natural lens directs these light rays to the retina, where they are converted into nerve signals. The optic nerve then transmits these nerve signals to the brain for image interpretation.
Refractive Errors
Nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism are refractive errors that affect a child’s visual acuity. These can be detected by asking the child to read letters on a chart while covering each of their eyes one at a time. Refractive errors can also lead to low vision, which requires special eyeglasses, contact lenses or surgery performed by your preferred eye doctors.
Functional Vision Problems
Functional vision refers to neurological control and a variety eye functions, such as eye teaming and fine eye movements, which are important for reading. Deficits in a child’s functional vision can lead to double vision, eye strain and headaches, which can affect learning.
Perceptual Vision Problems
These occur when a child is having difficulty understanding, identifying, judging and relating an object’s importance to previously stored information in the brain.
Dr. Teichmiller, our resident eye doctor, conducts pediatric eye exams to help diagnose childhood eye conditions that can affect learning. Call us today at (256) 270-0899 or fill out our online form to schedule an appointment. We serve residents of Decatur, AL, and nearby areas.