Childrens’ and Students’ Eye Examinations
We often see children who have been referred by school staff, support workers or parents who have noticed a sight problem. Some children with vision problems can be misdiagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorders (ADD or ADHD), learning disabilities, dyslexia or in some cases put down to lack of motivation or laziness.
Poor vision can have a huge impact on your children’s educational experience, from playground socialising to academic performance. As your child grows, their eyes also develop rapidly, making them susceptible to contracting optical problems such as squints, lazy eye or astigmatism. Often these conditions are easy to correct, but if left undiagnosed they can be much harder to treat at a later stage.
Sight testing for children is free under the NHS and there is no minimum age. We generally advise you bring your child in from the age of four upwards for routine visits. However, if you have any concerns about your child’s eyes or sight then we advise booking them in for an examination as soon as possible.
The role of visual factors in dyslexia
Most experts agree that problems with sight are not usually a main cause of dyslexia. Certain visual problems, however, do occur more frequently in dyslexia and these may, in some cases, contribute to the reading difficulty.
Such visual problems would not normally be detected in a school eye test. Two of the most common visual anomalies in dyslexia revealed by our series of tests are a reduced ability to focus closely and poor or unstable co-ordination of the two eyes (binocular instability).
These visual problems can cause eye strain, visual stress or visual distortions. This may slow reading and discourage children from prolonged reading.
Not all dyslexic people have these problems, but some have visual anomalies without realising it. People with a mild specific learning difficulty, perhaps not bad enough to be called dyslexic, can also have these visual problems. The visual problems can usually be treated with simple eye exercises and glasses may be prescribed in some cases.
A routine eye examination with an optometrist won’t be able to diagnose dyslexia, but if dyslexia is suspected, then it is sensible to start by investigating whether visual function is normal. At Izone Opticians we can help you with this and give further advice if required.