More BrandsAustralia’s Optometrists Association has urged parents to make sure that their children undergo regular eye examinations so as to identify visual problems that could possibly be the root of learning difficulties, the Mercury reported recently.
According to Andrew Hogan, a spokesman for the association, an undiagnosed eye problem may be the explanation for learning difficulties. Hogan noted that roughly 60% of children with such difficulties also suffered from some vision problems.
The Optometrists Association recommends that children undergo an eye test when they start school and the examinations should be carried out every two or three years while the child attends school. It is particularly important to have an eye check performed at the age of 12 or 13, when children typically develop short-sightedness and experience difficulties reading from the whiteboard.
Hogan said that good vision and good learning were inseparable. When children begin prep grade and grade one, their task is to learn reading and writing and this imposes different and rather significant demands on their eyes. However, kids are not in the habit of sharing their reading discomfort or admitting that they cannot see things clearly. A child will learn to read at a slower speed if his or her eyes do not prove to be up to the task when focusing up close. Hogan went on to add that vision problems exacerbated learning difficulties and in some cases could even be responsible for them. It is also possible for the child to develop behavioural problems, especially if he or she has trouble seeing content on the board clearly, Hogan noted.
