Key Vision Skills for School

Vision is more than just the ability to see
clearly, or 20/20 eyesight. It is also
necessary to understand and respond to
what is seen. Children who lack specific
vision skills will likely have difficulty
reading and learning.

Every child needs to have the following
vision skills in order to succeed in school:

Visual acuity - the ability to see clearly in the distance for
viewing the chalkboard and up close for reading a book.

Eye focusing - the ability to quickly and accurately change the
focus of the eyes as the distance from objects change, such as when
looking from the chalkboard to a paper on the desk and back; and
to easily maintain clear focus over time like when reading a book or
writing a report.

Eye tracking - the ability to keep the eyes on target when
looking from one object to another, moving the eyes along a printed
page, or following a moving object like a thrown ball.

Eye teaming - the ability to coordinate and use both eyes
together when moving the eyes along a printed page and to be able
to judge distances and see depth for driving and sports.

Eye-hand coordination - the ability to use visual
information to monitor and direct the hands when writing a book
report or trying to hit a ball.

Visual processing (visual perception) - the ability to
organize images on a printed page into letters, words and ideas and
to understand and remember what is read.

If any of these or other vision skills are lacking or not functioning
properly, a child will have to work harder. This can lead to
headaches, fatigue and other eyestrain problems.

Any child who is not performing up to his or her potential in school
should have a comprehensive vision examination.