Could Your Child’s Behavioral Problems Be Linked to Poor Vision?

Childhood is simultaneously the best of times and the most transformative of times. Walking side-by-side with their incredible wonder and energy and enthusiasm is their growth and development. As children weave in and out of phases, it’s impressively easy to spot behavioral changes (and, therefore, behavioral issues).

But during these years of immense change, behind the scenes evolutions, such as changes in eyesight, are almost near impossible to catch – especially since children don’t even know when they’re experiencing shifts in their vision that can lead to a visual problem.

That’s why, when a child exhibits behavioral or learning problems, it’s extremely important to not overlook the possibility of problematic vision issues that can be the root cause of certain behavior concerns.

Common Vision Issues in Children

During a child’s school years, it’s more common than parents may think for children to contend with nearsightedness, farsightedness, a lazy eye, or a crossed eye.

Here’s what these vision conditions are:

• Nearsightedness (myopia)
  A vision condition where a child can clearly see objects close up, but objects farther away are blurry.

• Farsightedness (hyperopia)
  A vision condition where a child can clearly see objects far away, but objects close up are blurry.

• Lazy eye (amblyopia)
  A vision condition where a child’s vision is blurry or reduced and cannot be corrected by glasses, contact lenses or eye surgery.

• Crossed eye (strabismus)
  A vision condition where a child’s eyes don’t look in exactly the same direction at the same time. This condition is not as obvious as one might think, and is more likely to be detected by a pediatric eye doctor than a general practitioner.

Additionally, children commonly struggle with eye focusing, eye tracking and eye coordination problems. The presence of these issues – which school vision screenings can largely miss entirely -can affect school and athletic performances.

Vision Problems and Behavior

At first observation, behavioral problems seem to have little to nothing to do with a child’s vision. Upon deeper review, it’s important to understand that vision occurs in the brain – not the eyes. In the brain, the interaction between vision and the social and emotional pathways is significant.

While vision issues can fuel a wide array of behavioral and learning problems, they’re commonly discussed with the behavior issues of hyperactivity and distractibility. These specific behavioral issues are also frequently link with learning difficulties.

If your child is identified as having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or another behavioral issue, and you feel they have been mislabeled, it’s vital to have your child’s vision checked.

Undetected and untreated vision problems can produce some of the exact same signs and symptoms of ADHD. Sometimes, a mislabeled behavioral issue is actually an undetected vision problem.

The Mounting Evidence that Proves Your Child’s Social, Emotional & Academic Success Depends on Clear Vision

Did you know that there are more neurons dedicated to our vision than the other four senses combined?⁴

Because vision affects behavior, attention, learning and processing, weak eyesight can be the culprit of several challenges your child is facing. Take a look at what studies on vision, behavior and learning have revealed:

• 80% of what we learn is obtained through visual processing of information¹
• There’s a 75% chance that a child’s poor learning skills or learning difficulties are caused by vision problems
• Vision problems affect 1 in 20 preschoolers and 1 in 4 school-aged children²
• An estimated 10 million children below 10 years of age have vision problems which affect their ability to learn³

Learning Related Vision Problems

With improved vision, difficult behaviors can potentially be changed. The same is true for learning issues.

While it’s necessary for children to focus at near and far distances for prolonged periods of time in school and during other tasks, a true indicator of a vision-related learning issue is when a child is having trouble completing (or cannot complete altogether) a near-sighted activity – like writing, reading, and fun work books.

It cannot be overstated: If you feel your child is displaying a behavioral issue, not achieving their potential in school, struggling to pay attention or exhibiting a short attention span, or not enjoying fun learning activities, a comprehensive pediatric eye exam should be part of the strategy when trying to get to the bottom of exactly what your child is contending with.

Forms of Treatment for Learning-Related Vision Problems

Undetected learning-related vision problems in children are common, which can make it hard to pay attention, fuel a short attention span, and lead children to struggle in school.

At iCare Vision, we are acutely aware of vision problems and behavior issues in children. We know that a child with an untreated vision problem may be misdiagnosed with behavior problems or ADHD/ADD when – in reality – they have a learning-related vision issue.

• Our goal in treatment is to find the root cause from a visual perspective. To do this, a comprehensive child’s vision exam that includes routine eye exam tests and additional, specific tests for detecting a learning-related vision problem – like convergence insufficiency, visual perception, and more.
• Extra tests would include accommodation, binocular vision, and ocular motility testing.
• In addition to exams and tests, and the learning problems and vision issues your child is contending with, we may recommend other testing, either in our office or with a child’s developmental optometrist.

A comprehensive child vision exam will direct treatment. Treatment may include:

• Glasses. Learn more about eye exams for glasses at iCare Vision.
• Contact Lenses (depending on the age of your child). Learn more about contact lens exams & fittings at iCare Vision.
• Vision Therapy. Learn more about pediatric vision therapy at iCare Vision.

Is It Time for Your Child to See a Children’s Eye Doctor for a Pediatric Eye Exam?

Because some signs and symptoms of behavioral and learning difficulties are extremely similar to those of vision problems, having your child’s eyesight assessed must be a part of the solution to uncover the ‘why’ – and the earlier the eye exam the better.

At iCare Vision, we’re committed to your child’s vision and ensuring that their eyesight is promoting a healthy lifestyle and success in school. As a team of licensed optometrists who specialize in pediatric eye exams, we thoroughly assess your child’s vision and see to it that they find the experience fun and engaging.

Hey, Kids! Are You Supporting Your Eyes?

Your eyes need your help! Here’s how you can help them, whether you’re at school or home:

1. Wear Your Eyeglasses
Do you wear eyeglasses? If so, be sure to wear them when you’re supposed to. Your glasses help you see better, especially when they’re clean and free of smudges. If you need help cleaning them, talk to an adult and ask them to show you how to clean your glasses and how to properly store them when you’re not wearing them.

2. Wear Your Sunglasses
Did you know the sun’s rays can hurt your eyes? If you don’t already have a pair, ask a parent or adult to help you find sunglasses that block 99% or 100% of both UVA and UVB radiation from the sun. And remember, never look directly at the sun.

3. Rest Your Eyes
If you spend a lot of time looking at a computer, phone, or TV screen, your eyes can get really tired. Give your eyes a rest with the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look about 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

4. Talk About How Your Eyes are Feeling
If your eyes feel weird, or you feel like you can’t see clearly, be sure to tell your parents or teacher about what you’re experiencing. They can help you get your eyes checked.

Resources:
¹ The Optometric Extension Program Foundation. Children’s Vision Care in the 21st Century & Its Impact on Education, Literacy, Social Issues & the Workplace. Accessed May 1, 2019. https://www.oepf.org/sites/default/files/journals/jbo-volume-22-issue-2/22-2%20Zaba.pdf.
² Health Day. Vision Problems Can Harm Kids’ Development, Grades. Accessed May 1, 2019. https://consumer.healthday.com/eye-care-information-13/eye-and-vision-problem-news-295/vision-problems-can-harm-kids-development-grades-724812.html.
³ PaTTAN. Vision and Learning. Accessed May 1, 2019. https://www.pattan.net/presentation/download/index.php?presentation_id=624&download_id=2427&file_name=Presentation%20Slides&content_type=pdf.
⁴ Imagine Think. True or false? Vision rules the brain. Accessed May 1, 2019. https://www.imagethink.net/true-or-false-vision-rules-the-brain/.