The purpose of vision is to interact with the environment, direct and guide balance and movement, meet demands, select and sustain attention, relate to past experiences and previous learning, project ahead, predict. Sight and vision are not the same. Vision is the dominant sense through which we learn and the dominant process of development. Vision is observed in how one stands, walks, talks, writ
es, thinks and in overall personality. “Sight” can be corrected with prescription lenses. “Vision” cannot. Vision GUIDES early development. The architecture of the brain is built through an ongoing process that begins before birth and continues into adulthood. Sensory pathways are the first to develop. The brain is a highly interrelated organ, its multiple functions operating in a well-coordinated fashion. Early experiences establish either a sturdy or fragile foundation for all of the learning, health, and behavior that follows. Vision disorders can be either developmental or stress-induced. The major stressor responsible for impairment in visual function is the biologically unacceptable, visually-compulsive, near-centered task. (hint: think…cell phone, tablet, laptop, pc, tv….) Asthenopia (eyestrain), Avoidance and Adaptations (such as Myopia) are a result of near point stress. An individual with a visual problem often narrows attention and visual awareness, and exhibits limitations in information processing. Vision doesn't just happen. A child's brain learns how to use eyes to see, just like it learns how to use legs to walk or a mouth to form words. The longer a vision problem goes undiagnosed and untreated, the more a child's brain learns to accommodate the vision problem. Children with uncorrected vision conditions or eye health problems face many barriers in life ... academically ... socially ... and athletically. High-quality eye care can break down these barriers and enable your children to reach their highest potential. Vision therapy provides the opportunity to develop visual abilities that have not developed efficiently or are inefficient due to stress on the visual system. VT provides the skills to learn more easily. Lenses, cylinders and prisms are the unique tools of Optometry to change perceptual, functional, structural and behavioral discrimination for learning and adaptive changes in visual and sensory integration. That's why a comprehensive eye examination is so important for children. Early detection and treatment provide the very best opportunity to correct vision problems, so your child can learn to see clearly. Make sure your child has the best possible tools to learn successfully. Vision screening programs are not a substitute for regular professional vision care. Children or adults who pass a vision screening could still have an eye health or vision problem. Professional examinations are the only effective way to confirm or rule out any eye disease or vision problem. The American Optometric Association recommends the following frequency of eye and vision examinations by age: 6 months, 3 years, before 1st grade, then every 2 years (for asymptomatic patients). Call for more information, or to schedule a comprehensive vision examination, especially if your child is struggling in school. Shea Ferree Carney, OD
Julie Burke, Vision Therapist
