Gattegno says that many of these problems are not something schoolchildren can necessarily just grow out of, but many can be minimised from further breakdown or improved with treatment or vision therapy, as long as there is timely intervention.

Without treatment, she said, the situation, and the children’s consequent view of life and the world around them, is likely to get worse with time and age, as the visual impairment progresses to more severe levels. The end result could be that not only their classroom learning experience could be negatively affected, but also the way they live their adult life, perform in their career, and handle social interactions and relationships. And that’s in addition to the impact vision problems can have on sight acuity as the years go by.

Missing the Possible Source

“The numbers just keep growing, but the message is still not getting through clearly enough that in the classroom, what could be construed as bad behaviour, laziness, low performance, difficulty reading, or inadequate responses to questions, might actually be the result of undisclosed or not yet identified vision problems,” she said.

According to Rodney, this misunderstanding can result in misdiagnoses which ascribe these children’s poor performance to ADHD, dyslexia, autism and many more similar disorders, which could be remediated with appropriate intervention. The problem may lie within the visual system, either partially or completely, says Rodney. And, even when the diagnosis is correct, vision problems may also be part of it, and silently making it worse. He said checking for vision problems and controlling them or treating them with vision therapy could make a big difference to the outcome.

Causes of Children Seeing The World Differently

What the children see around them could be distorted by vision problems such as a “lazy eye” (amblyopia), which can appear normal, but could end up sightless because of its poor vision in comparison with the other eye; misalignment of the eyes (strabismus); or refractive errors like myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia ( farsightedness), and astigmatism, all of which don’t receive the light-carried data correctly, or in the right place, because of misshapen corneas or eyeballs.

Child Vision Problems on the Increase

According to Rodney, the number of children with vision problems, and the level of severity of those impairments, has been shown to grow exponentially as students progress with their studies, particularly when the disorder is myopia. Nearsightedness, which allows for clear vision only when the object is close by, and presents everything at a distance as a blur, has been increasing its grip on children’s eyes since the middle of last century and is soaring to new levels every decade to a point where it is being seen as an epidemic.

Keeping an Eye on Vision

He said it was vital that today’s schoolchildren were taken for regular eye check-ups to keep track of their eye health. But it was also vital that parents and teachers were alert to signs that could indicate the existence of a vision disorder.

These include problems with focusing, having trouble reading what’s written on the blackboard, or seeing what’s happening in the distance. This can lead to difficulty in reading, squinting, and frequently rubbing eyes, as well as constantly holding a book very close when reading, or moving nearer to the screen when watching it.

For more information visit the Smart Vision website: Optometrists Sydney: Optometry Services For Children and Adults | Smart Vision; for specific information about Myopia treatment and prevention visit Myopia Prevention: Solutions, Control And Treatment In Sydney; and for detailed information about Myopia Treatment visit Orthokeratology In Sydney: The Non Surgical Alternative.

To book an appointment for a thorough eye check-up, click here  or Call the Bondi clinic on (02) 9365 5047 or the Mosman clinic on (02) 9969 1600.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

Rodney, a fellow of the International Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control (FIAOMC), says not enough consideration is being given to those children whose ability to learn is compromised because of refractive, perceptual and vision impairments which prevent them from seeing and processing relevant information. Instead technology is taking over the classroom and, in many cases, the use of screens and computers is increasing the progression of eye impairments like myopia.

Home Screentime Gets the Blame

“While the debate continues as to whether too much screen time at home could be causing or worsening eye problems, the school screen time or computer usage, which also calls for fixed focus and very little blinking over long periods, is seldom addressed.

Instead, it’s often seen as a feather in the cap of educational institutions keen to prove they’re keeping up with the times. And this is despite studies which report big leaps in the percentage of students with vision problems like myopia as their educational paths continue in a world where shortsightedness has reached epidemic proportions,” says Rodney.    

He said one out of four school-goers are myopic (nearsighted) and can see objects clearly only when they are close by. When faced with images or texts some distance away, everything becomes a confusing blur which leaves them understanding very little about the meaning or relevance of what they are seeing.

And they are not alone on this situation. According to Rodney, many children with other eye impairments face similar difficulties. And there’s a flip side to the problem – its not only screens that are further away that lead to difficulty with perceptual vision. A nearby screen like an individual computer on the desk, also holds an assortment of risks like fixed distance focus, the negative effects of the blue light emitted by the screen, and a tendency not to blink, which can lead to dry eye and eye strain in the same way as home computers, mobile phones and tablets.

Rodney said it’s possible that more hours are now spent viewing screens at school than at home, and certainly more time will be spent indoors doing so during class. And these are two of the major concerns with regard to increasing the rate of progression of this epidemic level eye impairment.

Kids Dealing With a Bundle of Confusion

For children with myopia starting school this adds to the normal concerns about whether children will like or shun them, and if their performance will be good enough to elicit praise from their parents and teacher.

When the knowledge they’re supposed to absorb is displayed a full classroom length away, they may well give up completely on concepts like learning, best behaviour, and “doing well at school”, and end up with limited attention spans, poor engagement and performance, affected social development and a low self-image, all of which will feed the vicious cycle they create. And at the same time the core factor of the eye impairment itself could be getting worse.  

“What are they supposed to feel when their teacher asks a question about something on a screen, and they can’t answer it because what they see doesn’t make sense? Or they battle to read out loud words which are a blur to them on a screen or whiteboard, and everyone around them starts laughing?” asks Gattegno.

HEAR: Gary Rodney Interviewed By David Wood Ultra106five.com

The Need for Eye Checks

Rodney and Gattegno urge parents and schools to ensure that children have regular eye checks in a bid to pick up any signs of impairment as soon as possible so those affected can be treated immediately.

For more information visit the Smart Vision website: Optometrists Sydney: Optometry Services For Children and Adults | Smart Vision; for specific information about Myopia treatment and prevention visit Myopia Prevention: Solutions, Control And Treatment In Sydney; and for detailed information about Myopia Treatment visit Orthokeratology In Sydney: The Non Surgical Alternative.

To book an appointment for a thorough eye check-up, click here or Call the Bondi clinic on (02) 9365 5047 or the Mosman clinic on (02) 9969 1600.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.