Kids and adults are really “into” all the great summer ball sports and games now, playing baseball, softball, tennis, soccer and even golf. Certain visual skills are necessary to a happy outcome in any of these ball sports. Parents, you have a great opportunity to determine if your child’s vision (beyond the routine school screenings) needs to be checked: Just watch how he or she performs in summer sporting activities.
For example: Does your child over- or under-estimate the distance or location of the ball, players and boundaries? How is his reaction time? What about his or her peripheral vision?
The visual skills necessary for peak athletic performance:
* Dynamic Visual Acuity: Moving objects clearly seen
* Eye Tracking: Can “keep your eye on the ball”
* Eye Focusing: Changes focus from one object to another quickly and clearly
* Peripheral Awareness: Sees out of the “corner” of eye
* Depth Perception: Quickly and accurately judges the distance, speed (and direction) of objects
* Eye-Hand or Eye-Body Coordination: Uses the eyes to effectively direct the movements of hands/body
Visual Sports Skills CAN Be Improved!
We have helped many kids and adults improve their visual skills with vision therapy. Call our office for more information or to set an appointment. Help your child get more out of summer games… and life!
Hidden Concussions Can Cause Reading Challenges
Approximately 85% of concussions go undetected. The reason this happens is because you do not have to lose consciousness to have a concussion, so most players will experience a blow to the head and get right back into the game. However, repeated blows to the head can accumulate (for example, by playing soccer) and cause just as much damage as a concussion.
When someone has a head injury, they typically have vision problems that can be temporary or seem to be permanent. When a vision problem is causing or contributing to a problem with reading, balance or movement, the recovery process will move very slowly until the visual component is treated.
It should also be noted that sometimes symptoms of a concussion might not even appear for days, even weeks after the accident. Additionally, some symptoms might disappear after time, such as eye pain or headaches, and yet other symptoms remain, i.e., blurred or doubled vision.
Head injury patients with resulting vision problems are very similar to patients we see at our office who have vision problems that interfere with reading and learning. Vision therapy is very effective at eliminating blurry and/or double vision, focusing problems, poor concentration, and reduced comprehension, to name a few, when they are due to a vision problem.
The good news is that the majority of these vision problems are fully treatable. If you or a loved one is struggling with reading, schedule an appointment today.
As a Result of Remote Learning Nearsightedness is on the Rise: Is Your Child at Risk?
The percentage of myopic (nearsighted) individuals In the United States increased as measured in 1972 and in 2010 from 25% of the population to 46%. And, before COVID-19, scientists were predicting that more than 40 million people in the US will be nearsighted by the year 2030.
Nearsightedness (myopia), or the inability to see objects clearly in the distance, is on the rise – in its frequency and its severity. The reason for its escalation has been linked to two factors:
1. Children who spend more time on activities like reading or using handheld devices instead of spending time outdoors are more likely to become nearsighted.
2. Children with one or two myopic parents are more likely to be nearsighted.
Increasing nearsightedness is a MAJOR risk factor for several eye diseases, including glaucoma, cataract, and retinal detachments. If your child’s glasses prescription keeps getting stronger every year, it’s time to find out what’s causing it.
Children and adults alike can benefit from convenient, comfortable and reversible therapeutic retainers which are designed to correct your vision while you sleep. This makes it possible for you see well without any glasses or contact lenses throughout the day.
Treatment varies depending on what is causing the nearsightedness to get worse. The goal for treatment is to control & slow down the progression of nearsightedness (myopia).