When you send your children back to school this fall, you're likely to get them new clothes and school supplies, but what about an eye exam?
The Vision Council of America (VCA) says 80 percent of a child's learning is done visually. Research showed that 70 percent of the 2 million school-age children in the United States with reading difficulties suffer some type of visual impairment. These include ocular motor, perceptual or binocular dysfunction, says the VCA, a nonprofit optical trade association.
A 2003 VCA survey found that 6 percent of parents recognize that vision problems can cause learning difficulties and less than half of the parents took their child for a comprehensive eye exam within the past year.
Here are 10 signs that may indicate your child has a vision problem:
- Squinting, closing or covering one eye.
- Holding a book close to the face.
- Losing their place while reading.
- Headache, nausea, or dizziness.
- Excessive clumsiness.
- Tilting head to one side.
- Frequent daydreaming.
- Using a finger as a place mark while reading.
- Performing below potential.
- Rubbing eyes repeatedly.
(Joanne Hart, Health24)
Source: The Vision Council of America (VCA)