Vision Problems in the Classroom
Teacher Tips On How To Identify Learners Having Difficulty Seeing
The Vision Council shows 1 in 4 children have undetected vision problems. Teacher awareness and simple classroom observation can help identify these children.
According to Vision Facts and Statistics published by the Vision Council of America, studies show 48% of parents have not taken their children, ages 12 and younger, to an eye doctor. One in 4 children have vision problems that go undetected.
Teacher Awareness is Key
Experience in the classroom teaches that vision problems can develop in children at any age, so it is important for teachers to be watchful of symptoms that can easily be detected during a normal day in the classroom. Both safety and learning are heavily dependent upon a child's eye health . Unfortunately, most vision tests in school test for far vision (reading an eye chart), but rarely test for near vision. If the teacher suspects a problem, notification should be sent to the parents to take the child for a professional eye examination. For parents unable to afford the service, have the nurse seek help through organizations that might be able to help.
Symptoms of a Vision Problem
- Squinting or straining to see the blackboard. These children will often not finish boardwork during the assigned time because of the difficulty in seeing what is written.
- Reports of frequent headaches, especially after lunch. Most reading and boardwork is done in the morning hours and by the afternoon children with eye problems can develop severe headaches from the eye strain.
- During reading, children who hold their books very close, or very far, may be trying to adjust the print to compensate for the problems they are having seeing.
- Children who rub their eyes a lot, or seem to have frequent eye irritation.
- Noticeable favoring of one eye and a tendency to bump into objects. These problems may be a symptom of a vision problem called amblyopia, a condition in which the clarity of vision in one eye is below normal. The stronger eye takes over and the brain compensates by ignoring what is seen by the amblyopic eye.
- Difficulty in distinguishing between colors. More boys than girls are affected by this condition, although it can occur in both. Learn more about color blindness in children.
- Children who complain of the words on the page moving or falling off the page. This is a symptom of Irlen Syndrone, a visual processing problem, and referral should be made to a certified Irlen screener as most eye doctors are not trained to diagnose this problem.
- When children cannot see to complete an assignment, you will often find them either talking to another student in order to get some help, borrowing another child's glasses, asking to move to the front of the room, or simply engaging in other more pleasurable activities while the rest of the class is working on the assignment. This off task behavior is sometimes believed to be an attention deficit problem, when in fact it may simply be an undiagnosed vision problem.
For more information on vision problems in children, visit the American Optometric Association site for some interesting tips for both parents and teachers.
