Just two or three months ago, children couldn’t wait to get out of school. The freedom of summer was just around the bend, as they eagerly looked forward to the break. However, once they’ve had their fill of summer, these same children begin to anticipate school: They are entering a new grade, or perhaps a new school. For some children, buying school supplies and perhaps even new school outfits can be exciting and escalate their desire to return and learn new studies.
Yet there are some children who dread going back to school. There are a wide variety of reasons for this, and for some of those kids it’s their struggle with academics. Namely, the struggle with homework, or seeing the board clearly, or reading correctly out loud in class, leaves many frustrated. Perhaps it’s the headaches that make children begin to dread going to class, their eyes getting tired halfway through the day. For some children it’s even their sports abilities – who really enjoys looking like a fool on the field?
It is important to remember that having 20/20 eyesight does not mean that there are no vision issues. In fact, it has been proven that children can have “perfect eyesight” and yet continue to experience vision disorders that make their school life miserable.
Vision disorders include things like the better-known lazy eye, but it also includes problems like convergence insufficiency and amblyopia, to name a few. Many learning-related vision disorders can manifest themselves in children as symptoms that may not initially appear to be vision-caused. In fact, in some kids it can appear as ADD or ADHD symptoms, including: failure to give close attention to details, failure to listen when spoken to directly, frequently misplacing items, forgetfulness in daily activities, easily distracted, and difficulty remaining seated.
In a study done by Dr. Davis B. Granet with 266 patients with CI (convergence insufficiency), there is “an apparent three-fold greater incidence of ADHD among patients with CI when compared with the incidence of ADHD in the general US population (1.8-3.3%) (Leslie et al., 2004). We also note a seeming three-fold greater incidence of CI in the ADHD population. This may simply represent an association and not be a causative relationship. Until further studies are performed, however, patients diagnosed with ADHD should be evaluated to identify the small subset that may have CI – a condition that responds well to treatment at home.”
It is important to take a few moments and observe your child, and if you suspect there may be vision problems outside of 20/20 eyesight, please don’t hesitate to give as a call at 703-753-9777. Learning should be an exciting time for kids, and school a place to study and grow in skills, not something to dread.