How Vision Affects Reading

Did you know that 80% of what we learn is through vision? Strong vision is crucial to our ability to be able to learn and read! Many students may be struggling with these skills without realizing that an underlying vision problem may be holding them back from succeeding. Undetected vision problems can significantly impact learning and reading abilities, leading to difficulties with attention, comprehension, and performance in school and work.

Common Vision Problems That Affect Reading

1. Convergence Insufficiency: This eye coordination problem can make it difficult for the eyes to work together to focus on close objects, leading to eye strain, headaches, and difficulty reading.
2. Tracking Issues: When the eyes do not track properly across the page when reading, students will skip lines, re-read words, lose their place easily, or have difficulty keeping their spot while reading. 
3. Amblyopia: Also known as lazy eye, amblyopia can cause one eye to have reduced vision, making it challenging to read or see clearly.
4. Visual Processing Disorders: When the brain has difficulty processing and interpreting visual information, leading to difficulties with reading, writing, reversals, and math concepts.
5. Binocular Vision Disorders: Vision problems that affect how the eyes work together to perceive depth and 3D images, leading to eye fatigue, double vision, eye strain, and headaches.

Impact of Vision Problems on Reading

Undetected vision problems can impact learning and reading abilities in various ways, including:

1. Reduced Attention Span: Vision problems can cause eye strain, fatigue, and discomfort, leading to reduced attention span and difficulty focusing on tasks.  This can look like an attention disorder, but is truly due to an underlying visual issue.
2. Poor Comprehension: Vision problems can make it challenging to read and understand written information, leading to poor comprehension and retention of information.
3. Reduced Performance: Vision problems can impact academic and professional performance, leading to lower grades, reduced work productivity, and difficulty with daily tasks.
4. Eye strain and fatigue: Vision problems can make one feel tired more quickly and fall asleep while trying to read or study.  This often looks like laziness, but is truly due to physical strain from the vision system causing quick onset of fatigue. 

What You Can Do About It

If you or your child are experiencing reading difficulties, it’s essential to schedule a Visual Efficiency Evaluation with a developmental optometrist. This is more than just a typical eye exam, but is an in depth evaluation of the vision system to detect underlying vision problems that are affecting your reading.

Schedule Your Eye Exam Today!

Call us at (714) 486-3315 to book a Visual Efficiency Evaluation to get started or book your evaluation online here.