20/20 vision is often thought of as perfect eyesight, but it's
really just one part of it.
20/20 vision might seem like there's nothing to worry about, but a lot of people with 20/20 vision still deal with vision problems, such as glaucoma and cataracts. Be sure to go get your eyes checked by a professional if you have any blurry or double vision.
Do You Have Symptoms of an Undiagnosed Vision Problem?
Eye problems often present themselves in subtle ways. Some eye problems come with very obvious symptoms, such as lazy eyes or crossed eyes, but most are subtler, particularly in children. Young kids don't know that what they are experiencing isn't normal, so it rarely occurs to them to describe it to an adult. All they know is that they are expected to perform at the same level as their peers and that they can't seem to keep up for some reason. The result is frustrated adults, confused and upset children, and an unfortunate number of misdiagnosed learning disorders.
Since most symptoms of eye problems are subtle, it's important to be aware of your child's visual and physical development. Keep track of changes over time, including symptoms such as difficulty concentrating, a short attention span (especially for close work), frequent headaches, neck strain, double vision, and more.
Eyes Should Work as a Team
Together, your eyes perform all sorts of complex tasks. Binocular vision is how they work together to create a single 3D image. To see how binocular vision works, close one eye and then the other while focusing on the same object. You'll notice that you see things from a slightly different angle out of each eye because of their distance from one another. This helps us judge distances and create 3D images. We need our eyes to work effectively as a team, which is called binocular vision.
Binocular vision is the ability to use both eyes together to see an object. Binocular vision allows us to see depth, which allows us to judge the distance between objects and organize our world into categories through depth perception. Although binocular vision is generally considered normal and automatic, a variety of problems can impede binocular vision: Divergence insufficiency – The eyes struggle to turn outward to focus on distant objects; Divergence excess – The eyes turn outward too much when focusing on distant objects; Convergence excess – The eyes turn inward too much when focusing on close objects; Convergence insufficiency – The eyes struggle to turn inward to focus on close objects; Strabismus – One eye turns inward or outward; Amblyopia ("lazy eye") – The brain will favor input from just one eye, making the other worsen in acuity; Vertical heterophoria – The eyes are vertically misaligned, making them strain to create a coherent image together.
Even though binocular vision dysfunction is common among children, they often not diagnosed and treated. As a result, these children have weaker visual processing and poorer academic achievements in math and writing as well as reading fluency.
The Importance of Comprehensive Eye Exams
A comprehensive eye exam can identify vision problems and determine whether treatment is needed. This information can help students see better in school, which will also help them succeed. If you or your child seems to have difficulty seeing or has trouble handing in homework before it is due, schedule an appointment with our experienced optometrists today!
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