One in six school-age kids, like Edward Parker, is misdiagnosed with a learning or behaviour issue, when they actually have a vision problem. A trip to a Doctor of Optometry might be all that’s needed to get them back on track.
UP to 80 percent of what kids learn is through what they see.
Edward’s mother Renee recognized early on that her son was having some difficulty, but she couldn’t pinpoint the problem. When Edward started school he had a hard time learning the alphabet, while his classmates seemed to pick it up easily. Then he wanted to play baseball with his friends, but couldn’t catch or throw the ball like the other kids. “I was in grade one and they were making me do kindergarten work,” says Edward. Things didn’t improve by the second grade. Eventually his difficulty with schoolwork and inability to focus, in the classroom and on the playground, landed Edward with a diagnosis of ADD. “They thought he wasn’t paying enough attention when he was trying to read,” says Renee. “I was told to put him on Ritalin.”
When the school told Renee that her son appeared to be bullying other children by bumping into them, she knew something really wasn’t right and took Edward to a Doctor of Optometry for a comprehensive eye exam.
Renee knew the importance of good vision, but didn’t realize how crucial a role it plays in children’s learning and development. It turned out that while Edward had 20/20 vision, he wasn’t correctly processing what he was seeing. “Edward had a problem trying to keep both eyes moving together, which caused double vision for him,” explains Doctor of Optometry Dr. Sandy Johal, adding that reading the 20/20 line during a routine eye exam is only one of 17 visual skills needed for reading, learning and playing sports. Edward’s lack of depth perception also explained why he was bumping into the other kids and frequently tripping and falling. “His knees were in pretty bad shape!” says Renee.
Kids like Edward can’t tell their parents there’s a problem because, to them, what they’re seeing is normal. And in most cases, the parents can’t spot a problem because there are few obvious symptoms.
“As Doctors of Optometry, we are specifically trained to look at how the eyes function together, and how they take in and process information,” says. Dr. Johal. After a full examination, Johal was able to identify Edward’s problem as neuromuscular. “We basically had to re-train his brain on how to use the muscles,” Dr. Johal says.
After six weeks of vision therapy, Renee watched Edward walk with confidence for the first time. Then he picked up his old baseball glove.“Before, when we tried to play in our backyard, I couldn’t catch or throw the ball. I couldn’t even hit the ball with a baseball bat,” says Edward. “Now I get home runs.”
Visit us at www.visionsourcenw.com to book eye exams for you and your children.
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