Since 1995, August has been declared National Children's Vision and Learning Month. The goal of this national observance is to help educate parents and educators about the critical link between vision and learning. This month coincides with Back to School as summer vacation draws to a close and children across the nation return to school or enter school for the first time.
It is crucial that all children have vision screening prior to entering school and routine screening (annual) takes place. Vision problems can interfere with learning. It is reported that as many as 25% of children grades K-6 have vision issues that can impede learning.-School vision screening is a start, but does not replace full vision testing completed by a vision professional (at an optometrist or ophthalmologist). Many learning difficulties can be attributed to vision problems that are not detected during typical school vision screenings.
-Many times vision issues are misdiagnosed as "laziness", ADHD, dyslexia or other learning disabilities.
-Signs that your child may be struggling with vision include: frequent headaches, dizziness, tiredness, inability to complete homework in a timely fashion, or poor spelling.
