MYTHS TO THINK ABOUT

Common misconceptions sometimes cause the biggest obstacles to success

MYTH: Not doing an activity always indicates unwillingness to cooperate.

  • TRUTH:
    • Avoidance is one of the main responses to stress, especially visual stress. 
    • Children may have difficulty understanding what to do or how to do it based on a physical problem they don’t know how to vocalize.
    • Children may be afraid to try new things due to low self-esteem or a fixed mindset.

Child avoiding nearwork

Dr. Jesse evaluates a child's vision

MYTH: Seeing “20/20” means you have perfect vision.

  • TRUTH:
    • 20/20 is specifically a measurement of one’s ability to see a certain size target at a certain distance (20ft). We have over a dozen skills that we need to see, read, focus, and interact with our world efficiently.
    • We don’t all have the same ability to see and then make sense of objects.
      • VISION: The ability to react and interact with one’s surroundings through light, thus gathering and storing information.
      • EYESIGHT: The ability to see a certain size target at a certain distance (20/20).
      • Example: you can SEE this (an unknown symbol) clearly. But can you make meaning out of it?

MYTH: Short attention span means you need medication.

  • TRUTH:
    • ADHD is the most common misdiagnosis in people with convergence insufficiency because of many overlapping symptoms (15/18 symptoms are the same). A correctable vision problem could be the root of the issue and can be helped by vision therapy, no medication needed.
    • A relaxed body allows for a longer attention span. The body exhibits many responses to stress. 
    • When eye-hand coordination, balance, and total body coordination do not match intelligence, acting out behaviors or withdrawal are often the response.

Child unable to focus on reading, avoiding near work

MYTH: Any person can pay attention if they really try.

  • TRUTH:
    • Convergence Insufficiency (CI) – a disorder of eye teaming – can cause the brain to be preoccupied/distracted by the mechanics of reading. When you cannot point your eyes at a neat target, double vision occurs. When eye teaming is not working on autopilot like it should, it takes extra thought and concentration, which depletes the brain’s ability to comprehend and learn. 
    • When a person is handicapped in any visual task because of a visuo-motor problem, or when fatigue is building up because of excessive energy consumption related to visual work, behavior tends to deteriorate. The child becomes nervous and more irritable. 

MYTH: Looking at something means you see and/or understand it.

  • TRUTH:
    • Just because you are able to see an image or an object, does not mean you can comprehend or make meaning from it. When there is a weak connection between the eyes and brain, there’s a processing delay in determining the meaning of things.

Children might rub their eyes because their vision problem makes it exhausting to do near work

child eating carrots

MYTH: Carrots will improve your vision.

  • TRUTH:
    • Although carrots contain vitamins that do support one’s overall eye health, they do not improve vision on their own (but still eat your carrots!). This myth started as a propaganda campaign during WWII.

MYTH: The size of the print you use is determined by your age.

  • TRUTH:
    • Size of print should not be determined by age. Reduce print size ONLY if the child handles it well. 
    • Some individuals with autism read the entire page with one look. DO NOT change a successful pattern! 
    • The smaller the print size, the greater the demand on focus. More stress may be encountered by trying to maintain clear vision at desk or at book distances.

child reading

Just about every individual can learn. 80% of learning comes through the eyes, so if someone has a visual problem, it can make it harder for them to engage with and learn that material. 

In vision therapy, the patients are the change makers, the vision therapist facilitates that change. Because of this, our patients are empowered to be self-sufficient when therapy ends and more confident in their ability.

We know it can be frustrating as parents to have to deal with a problem day in and day out, but we can work together as a care team to help children improve and reach their potential!

Watch your language- empower your child through your words

Instead of this…

SAY THIS
Try harder!! Let’s do this together.
You can do better. You’ve earned the right to have a harder job.
You’re old enough to do that alone

.

 You did that so quickly and accurately. This tells me you are thinking and working.
No video games until you get that done.  Tell me if you need help.
You’re lazy. We’ll come back to that in a few minutes.
I can’t stand you! Let’s take a break.
You’re careless. Let’s clean this up.
No! Don’t do it that way. How else could you do this?
Can’t you do anything right? You got the first part perfectly!
I’ll do it, you’re too slow. Would you like some help?
Get your hands off the vase! Are your hands doing their job? 
You didn’t do what I told you to do! What did you hear me say?
That doesn’t look like a horse. Tell me about the picture you made. 
Finish the picture.  What else could you add to your picture?

References

“Begin Where They Are!” By Kathy Nurek, B.S. & Donna Wendelburg, M.S., COVT 

“The Vision Therapist’s Toolkit” By Thomas C. Headline, COVT; Irene Wahlmeier, COVT; Vicki Bedes, COVT