Important visual skills for children
Vision plays a vital role in a child’s growth, and issues with their eyesight can affect their learning and development. Kids need to have these visual skills to engage in activities like reading, learning, and playing sports and physical education:
Visual acuity
Your kid ought to have the ability to see with clarity at near, medium, and far ranges. Consider the tasks this allows them to do, like viewing a presentation or blackboard from a distance, using a computer at a medium distance, and reading a book up close.
Focusing
Keeping things clear when the distance to objects changes. For instance, transcribing lines on a board into a book on the child’s desk.
Tracking
Maintaining focus on an object in motion, like a ball, and ensuring the eyes stay aligned as it transitions to another item is a crucial ability for shifting gaze between lines while reading.
Eye teaming
Every kid ought to be capable of using both eyes simultaneously, in sync while they’re reading. This ability is also important for assessing how far away or how deep things are on the playground or when the kid is playing sports. As they grow older, this is a crucial visual skill required for operating a vehicle.
Eye-hand coordination
While sketching, penning, or tossing a ball, kids need to understand what they see and apply this knowledge to guide their movements.
Visual perception
This refers to the mind’s capacity to interpret visual information. It’s a crucial skill required for tasks like solving puzzles, creating art, slicing, reading, and writing, in addition to daily activities such as dressing or locating lost items like clothes or toys.
Kids acquire knowledge visually, and issues with their eyes can affect their growth.
Signs of learning-related visual problems
If your kid is experiencing difficulty seeing clearly or has trouble with any of the following visual abilities, it could indicate an issue with their vision. If your kid is lagging behind in their studies, it’s wise to have their eyes examined, as issues with vision can sometimes be the cause. Typical signs of vision issues in kids include:
- Eyestrain
- Blurred vision
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Excessive blinking and eye rubbing
- Squinting
- Covering one eye to see better
- A change in school performance
- Tiring easily when doing homework or reading
- Using a finger to track words when reading
- Tilting the head to see better at a distance or up close
Observing your child as they read, complete their homework, or engage in sports activities can aid in recognising common signs of visual issues. Discuss your child’s educational advancement with their teacher – they might be able to spot visual issues that you’re unaware of while at home.