Learning Lenses

In honor of August being Children’s Vision & Learning Month, Dr. Slotnick has made a contribution to Natural Awakenings Magazine:

 

In this article, Dr. Slotnick helps parents identify important questions for their child’s educational wellness:

 

Learning Lenses:
Bringing focus to the Brain when 20/20 Eyesight is Not Enough

August is Vision and Learning Month, reminding us to be sure our children are fully prepared for success when they return to the classroom. Success in school depends on the ability to absorb a tremendous amount of visual information. 

A screening at school or at the pediatrician’s office may provide parents with a quick and easy green light. Often parents conclude, My child doesn’t need glasses, when the screening has confirmed nothing more than, My child does not need glasses to see a chart at 20 feet.

The only thing the screening measures is eyesight.

But optometrists evaluate a great deal more than eyesight: they assess visual performance, which includes focusing, eye teaming and eye tracking. 

Just as a wrench can help someone loosen a bolt swiftly and effortlessly, glasses can be prescribed as tools to help someone learn more easily. Research published in Optometry & Visual Performance has demonstrated that low-powered lenses have a significant positive effect on reading speed and comprehension.

Behavioral/developmental optometrists pay extra attention to reading and the processing of visual information where it matters most: at near-point reading distance. They may prescribe “learning lenses,” low-powered lenses that help bring focus to the brain, so that the child can see clearly and comfortably. This frees up the mind for processing and absorbing information, so that the child’s effort is applied to cognitive skills rather than the visual skills of focusing, eye teaming and eye tracking.

So the question for parents should not be, Does my child need glasses? Rather, it should be, Would my child benefit from learning lenses? Back-to-school checklists should include a visit with a behavioral or developmental optometrist to ensure that children are ready to learn.

Samantha Slotnick, OD, is a behavioral optometrist whose office is located at 495 Central Park Ave., Ste. 301, Scarsdale, NY. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and the College of Optometrists in Vision Development, and she is certified in vision therapy and rehabilitation. Contact her office at 914.874.1177. For more info on vision and learning, visit DrSlotnick.com.