Vision is More Than 20/20

As we come upon the COVD Annual Meeting next week (College of Optometrists in Vision Development), it’s a good time to talk about the link between vision and learning.

Firstly, the COVD is a non-profit, international membership association of eye care professionals including optometrists, optometry students, and vision therapists. Established in 1971, COVD provides board certification for eye doctors and vision therapists who are prepared to offer state-of-the-art services in:

• Behavioral and developmental vision care
• Vision therapy
• Visual rehabilitation

These specialized vision care services develop and enhance visual abilities and correct many vision problems in infants, children, and adults. Vision care provided by all COVD members is based on the principle that vision can be developed and changed. For example, we know that infants are not born with fully developed visual abilities and that good vision is developed through a learned process.

Vision and Learning

Parents and educators often incorrectly assume that if a child passes a school vision screening, then there is no vision problem. However, school vision screenings often only test for visual acuity. In reality, the vision skills needed for successful reading and learning are much more complex. A child who can see 20/20 can still have a vision problem.


Vision is a complex process that involves over 20 visual abilities and more than 65% of all the pathways to the brain. 1 in 4 children has an undiagnosed vision problem which can interfere with learning and lead to academic and/or behavioral problems. However, it is important to know that these children frequently do not report symptoms because they think everyone sees the same way they do.

 Often a child with a vision-based learning problem has excellent verbal skills, causing parents and educators to think the child must be lazy, have ADD/ADHD, or is learning disabled. The possible misdiagnosis can be due to similar symptoms, but the causes are not the same.

Vision and ADD/ADHD

A common term used to describe children who exhibit behaviors of impulsivity, hyperactivity, and distractibility is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Undetected and untreated vision problems can elicit some of the very same signs and symptoms that are commonly attributed to ADHD. Due to these similarities, some children with vision problems are mislabeled as having ADHD.

A recent study by researchers at the Children’s Eye Center, University of San Diego, uncovered a relationship between a common vision disorder, convergence insufficiency, and ADHD. The study showed that “children with convergence insufficiency are three times as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than children without the disorder.”

This new research supports what COVD optometrists have known for some time—a significant percentage of children with learning disabilities have some type of vision problem. One study found that 13% of children between nine and thirteen years of age suffer from moderate to marked convergence insufficiency, and as many as one in four, or 25%, of school age children may have a vision problem that can affect learning.

Vision and Dyslexia

Children and adults with dyslexia usually have healthy eyes and sharp eyesight. However, a substantial number of individuals with dyslexia have other visual problems. Depending on its severity, a learning-related vision problem can sometimes be misidentified as dyslexia because there are similarities. However, it is more common that children with dyslexia also have a visual component that is contributing to their difficulties.

When a child struggles with reading and learning it is important to first rule out the possibility of a vision problem. If a vision problem exists, treatment may involve glasses, optometric vision therapy, or both. Optometric vision therapy treats vision problems that can interfere with learning to read, or reading to learn. Once the vision problem is treated successfully, tutoring and other special services can become more effective.

Vision and Autism

Visual problems are very common in individuals with autism. Visual symptoms of autism can include lack of eye contact, staring at spinning objects or light, fleeting peripheral glances, side viewing, and difficulty attending visually.

Autistic people often use visual information inefficiently. They have problems coordinating their central and peripheral vision. For example, when asked to follow an object with their eyes, they usually do not look directly at the object. Instead, they will scan or look off to the side of the object. Autistic individuals might also have difficulty maintaining visual attention. Eye movement disorders and crossed eyes are common in the autistic spectrum.

Depending on the results of testing, lenses to compensate for nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism (with or without prism) may be prescribed. Vision Therapy activities can be used to stimulate general visual arousal, eye movements, and the central visual system. Many COVD doctors are experienced in examining and treating autistic people as well as other developmentally delayed or non-verbal individuals.

From the COVD website. Click here to find a COVD Doctor in your area.

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We are proud to be an exhibitor at this year’s COVD meeting in Fort Worth. Please stop by Booth #28 to see how our Smart System^® products are aligned with the mission of COVD.

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