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My Child Can See But Cannot Write Nor Read

In order to see clearly and process what we can see (to read or write), we need to have visual information processing skills. Good vision means we have a good set of eyes that can see clearly. Good visual information processing skill means being able to accurately and quickly interpret what we see. For example, when our children write or read in the classroom, it is important for them to quickly decode, understand, and remember the written material they are reading as well as being able to process what the teachers say.

Visual information processing can be divided into 3 basic areas:

1. Visual Spatial Skills; is an understanding the relation of the world to us. Children with poor visual-spatial skills have difficulty understanding left to right, poor eye movement skills (can be perceived as clumsy), and difficulty understanding space and time.

2. Visual Analysis Skills; is an ability to recognise and manipulate visual information. These sets of skills include the child’s ability to memorise and recall words, forms, and numbers, difficulty spelling as well as focussing on certain visual tasks that required visual memory.

3. Visual Motor Skills; often called hand-eye coordination. Visual motor issues can lead to poor motor skills such as catching a ball, difficulty copying sentences, tie shoelaces, cutting and drawing.

In general, we would like to effectively target their visual information processing problems to help the child learn. Difficult with fine motor integration affects a child’s writing, organization on paper, and ability to transition between a worksheet or keyboard and other necessary information which is in a book, on a number line, graph, chart, or computer screen.

What therapy is best for my child to help them learn (if they have visual information processing problems)?

There are no two children that are the same, effective interventions include using the child’s best strength to build the other areas of development that need improvement. Age is another factor that need to be considered; for example a young child who has not started school; a fun tasks such as threading beads can be included and more time can be spent doing therapies compared to one who is at school 5 days a week.

A visual information processing is generally conducted by a paedriatic or behavioural optometrists and should be conducted to children with no problems seeing things but have learning difficulties at school (or have problems concentrating at school).

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How Can Parents Help Create Healthy Eye Environment?

Good vision is important for a child’s educational, physical and social development. It is important for parents to identify and recognise the possible symptoms of vision problems. One in five Australian children suffers from an undetected vision problem, or requires regular monitoring. Most of the children with eye problems are not aware that they have any eye problems, as they assume what they see is normal.

Creating a healthy eye environment at home is a good start and here are useful hints to achieve it;

– Take your child to visit an optometrist on a regular basis
– Always read in good and even lighting, and encourage
regular breaks
– Spend a few hours outdoor each day; and remember
sun protection
– Wear sunglasses and a hat while outside to avoid UV damage
– Ensure room is well lit and reduce glare from lights or windows when watching TV or playing on smart devices
– Limit computer sessions and have regular short breaks
– Limit TV watching to less than 2 hours, and have a good distance from the screen
– Have the top of the computer or TV, or slightly below eye level
– Healthy eating that includes plenty of vegetables, fruits, nuts and fish to help maintaining eye and body health
– Variety of activities should be included in child’s play; climbing, games, exploring, building and general play
– Diet plays an important role in maintaining good vision and
eye health

Children also get so much benefit from playground or outdoor play for their social, physical and thinking development. The best way to ensure your young children are safe in a playground is to supervise them, especially when they are trying more complicated activities. One of the big plus of outdoor play is that increased outdoor time leads to reducing myopia (shortsightedness) progression. Another benefit of outdoor play is the common soil bacterium is believed to have antidepressant qualities and has been shown to increase learning ability. However, there are possible side effects with increased exposure to UV light from the sun; and the effect is minimal when proper UV protection is given to the child (sunscreen for the skin and sunglasses and/ or hat for the eyes). We will cover UV protection in greater detail in our next article.

In the first year of life, all infants should be routinely screened for potential problems with the GP, paedriatician or an optometrist. Around the age of 3 and 5, every child should have their eye examination by the family optometrist or doctor. Optometrist Association Australia recommended every school-aged child should have an annual eye examination to ensure early detection of any problems; as most eye problems are easily treatable when detected early enough.

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Eyesight Issues and Inferiority Complexes

Half of Australian children have never had an eye test before they reach 8 years of age.

As busy parents, we understand that it is a check that is often neglected. We often forget that when a child complains that they “don’t like reading”; we often think that it is normal for a child to dislike reading at early age. Behavioural issues such as short concentration span, disruptive behaviour in class, dislikes reading, or giving up on sports can be the first few symptoms of eye issues. As parents; not only we have to keep up with their daily activities, but we also have to be able to “translate” what our children are “really saying” to us. Children communicates differently; they might simply say that they are tired when you asked them to go through their homework; which might mean that their eyes are tired when they try to read or write.

Personally, I was a shy kid in early primary school, was not interested in maths and certainly was just clumsy in sports. It was only until my mom suspected I could not see clearly when I went closer towards the TV to see tennis scores that she took me to the optometrist. The outcome was brilliant; I could actually see; I thought I could see but obviously as a kid you do not know what you should be able to see; or what other children can actually see. I started to blossom in my social skills as I could actually see their faces clearly and able to read their facial expression when I talked to them. I gained many friends as well as excelled in maths and started playing tennis (I could actually see the ball; how exciting!). It was an instant change. I no longer felt inferior to my friends.

Visual demands on our children at school have also increased through the years. Average Australian children spends 20 hours or more on electronic devices a week as well as book reading. It can increase up to 40 hours a week by the time they get to high school. In addition, modern parenting with longer working hours may rely on digital devices to keep their children occupied especially during school holiday; thus may pose more threat to their eyesight. All these tasks our children performed put more pressure on near visual demands on our children whether we like it or not.

Final word of eye advise: never take your children’s eyes for granted and while it is important to be aware of common eye symptoms in children, not all eye problems are visible to parents. Therefore; regular eye examination by paedriatically trained optometrists or ophthalmologist is essential for all Australian children.

Sonya Wijaya (B. Optom./ PG. Spec Cert. Cont. Lenses and Paedriatics/ Ther. Endorsed) is an optometrist in Doncaster East (Optical In Sight) www.opticalinsight.com.au

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What does a Digital Screen do to your Child’s eyes?

In modern parenting, kids and digital devices (such as iPads, laptops, phones and so on) are inseparable. 

Many more pre-schoolers are using iPad and other digital devices for learning as well as entertainment.
Thus it is important for us parents to understand the risks and benefits of exposing our children to such devices.It has been shown that children with digital learning at home perform better at school.
However it can compromise to their health if given in excessive amount. We always encourage the healthy use of iPads and such devices in moderation in young children as there are risks in using them excessively.

Risks include exposure of the invisible harmful blue light emitted by the screens, progression of myopia or shortsightedness (inability to see things at distance clearly), as well as bad posture or ergonomics adapted when using the screen. Blue Light Exposure

Are there any benefits of blue light?
Yes; it boosts alertness, helps memory and higher cognitive functions.
However, excess exposure to harmful blue light emitted by any digital screens can cause oxidative damage to our eyes leading to early development of macular degeneration (that results in permanent loss of central vision) and loss of deep cycle as it disrupts sleep cycle which is crucial for children to grow healthy and promotes healthy mood.

Progression of Myopia (Shortsightedness)

The eyestrain caused by excessive near work can aid in myopia progression as well as inducing myopia. Children’s visual system is young and has high plasticity and can easily adopt near-sightedness from prolonged screen time.
Posture Problems

It is common for children to adopt poor postures with digital screen use which can lead to joint, neck, elbow, wrist and back problems.

To avoid these problems; try these simple remedies:
• Special type of spectacles with blue filter coating should be used for prolonged screen use
• Minimise contact time with digital screen
• Have good lights and try not to lie down when using digital screen
• Make a child have regular break with digital screen use (i.e. every 20 minutes try to look at object 20 feet away for 20 seconds)

Good eyesight during school years is important for learning and developing good life skills. With eyestrain and vision problems, children will encounter difficulties in learning as 80% of learning comes from vision for school aged children. It is important to have children’s eyes tested every year as most children are not aware that they have eye problems. They often assume that what they see is normal

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Early Eye Intervention For Children

Children who have vision loss might have normal-looking eyes. It might appear as something about a child’s behaviour or habit that makes you think there might be a problem with the way he sees.

Most babies start to focus on faces and objects by 4-5 weeks of age. By about 6-8 weeks, most babies will start smiling at the familiar faces and things they see. Babies with vision impairment might have problems doing this.

In young babies, signs can be as subtle as:
– Eyes move/ jerk/ wander randomly or quickly
– Eyes don’t follow your face or an object, or minimal eye contact with family and friends
– Eyes don’t react to light being turned on or off pupils seem white or cloudy
– Eyes don’t line up but look turn in or outwards

We are launching the “Open Your Eyes” Preventive Eyecare campaign to highlight the dangers of not having a regular eye examination every two years and to encourage people to come in and have their eyes tested.

The main reason someone visits an optometrist today is that they experience some kind of vision change. Unfortunately, many symptoms of eye disease are either invisible or not immediately obvious, so it is really important that Australians of all ages not wait for a problem before seeing their local optometrist. This routine should start from pre-school years and then regularly thereafter.

Eye consultation is the main weapon against avoidable vision loss and blindness by picking up early signs of eye disease so it can be diagnosed and treated.
The 360 degree eye consultation includes a holistic and extensive eye examination plus advice on health, diet and lifestyle and the latest eyewear solutions for maintaining healthy eyes and vision. Once your child has a diagnosis of vision impairment, you can get access to early intervention services and specialists. Children with all kinds of vision loss can get a lot out of early intervention.
As parents, choosing the right toys for eye safety is important. Children are born with an immature visual system that needs to be stimulated in order to promote normal visual development. The good news is nothing stimulates a child’s vision more easily than a toy. But it’s important to choose toys that are safe. We will cover more on toys and eye safety in our next article.

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Specialising in the Little Ones!

Many more pre-schoolers are using iPad and other digital devices for learning as well as entertainment. Thus it is important for us parents to understand the risks and benefits of exposing our children to devices.

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Food for Healthy Eyes

Few lifestyle choices can also help to restore our eye health; such as wearing a hat or sunglasses to block harmful UV, maintaining a healthy weight, be aware of the family’s eye health history and reducing screen time to minimise the absorption of the harmful blue lights our smart devices emit.

1. Carrot
It is true that beta carotene, a type of vitamin A, that gives the orange hue helps the retina (back of the eye) and the eyes to function smoothly.

2. Leafy Greens
They are packed with antioxidants; lutein and zeaxanthin to lower the risk of developing macular degeneration and cataracts. Lutein and zeaxanthin can also act as natural sunglasses, forming macular pigments to filter the harmful sun’s UV rays. It seems that the antioxidant-rich greens such as spinach and kales can mop of the free radicals accumulating in our retina.

3. Vitamin C and E
Antioxidants found in vitamin C (found in citrus fruits, broccoli and kiwi) and E (found in vegetable oil, avocados and nuts) as well as lutein and zeaxanthin (described above) can really protect our eyes from cataracts and macular degeneration.

4. Eggs
The yolk of an egg is packed with lutein and zeaxanthin as well as zinc. Having two eggs a day can safely increase of levels of lutein and zeaxanthin without increasing LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. Unless your doctor advises otherwise, you can go ahead and enjoy eggs regularly without worrying about the cholesterol content.

1. Fatty Fish (DHA)
Low levels of DHA in the eye has been linked to dry eye disease and other eye conditions. Tuna, salmon, anchovies, and trout are rich in DHA, which is naturally found in healthy retina. DHA is found at the highest concentration in the retina, compared to other parts of the body. Researchers have found that having two serves of fish a week is linked to lower risks of macular degeneration and other eye conditions.

1. Consider a Supplement
If you cannot commit to eating healthy for your eyes, supplements can help combatting many of the eye diseases. However; it is always best to get nutrients from food first. The current supplement formula being studied in major research trials includes 10 mg of lutein (the equivalent of about 3 cups of spinach), 2 milligrams of zeaxanthin and 1 gram total of EPA and DHA (approximately what you get in a 3-ounce serving of salmon). There is no advantage to take it above the suggested dose, and to take it under medical supervision.

Simple Kid-Friendly Blueberry-Peach Smoothie 

Mix : ¾ cup blueberries, 1 small peach, ½ cup juice or any type of milk, ½ cup plain yoghurt, 1 tablespoon honey, small amount of flaxseeds, and ice cubes. Blend until smooth and stir before serving; this smoothie will pack everything in for breakfast or on-the-go snack.

Having a good eye health is crucial for good health and wellbeing; and simply visiting your eye professional can be your very first step to be sure that your eyes are healthy and if you’re seeing the best.

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Protect your Children’s Eyes From UV

Australians are educated since a young age to put on sunscreen
and to understand the dangers of sun exposure to our skin.
However, what about the sun’s impact on our children’s eyes?

Hats and good UV protection sunglasses are best to protect the whole family’s eyes from the risk of eye diseases and vision loss caused by UV.

Why “sunscreen” for eyes?
Australian Skin Cancer Foundation found that “our eyes are 10 times more sensitive than our skin”. We need to protect our family’s eyes from glare and damaging UV rays. While the early morning sun is a good source of vitamin D, we need to limit the exposure of harmful UV to our skin and our eyes. Excessive UV exposure to our eyes may cause certain eye conditions and diseases such as cataracts, pterygium, and skin cancer around the eye.

“I wear sunglasses during summer”… Think again…

Australia has some of the highest levels of UV radiation in the world, which means during our winter months we are also exposed to the same UV rays and glare. Dangerous UV rays can be reflected off wet surfaces, roads, pavements, and snow.
If we or our children spend a lot of time outdoors, look out for wrap-around sunglasses with good UV rating (Australian Standard level 3 and 4 for the highest glare protection). When unsure what to look for; ask your local optometrist for advising what is best for you and your children.

Did you know that children are more sensitive to UV than adults?
Believe it or not; we receive 80% of our lifetime’s exposure to UV before our 18th birthday. If you think about it; children go outside during recess or lunchtime at school, they play outside with their friends, play outdoor sports, go to outdoor playgrounds, or simply walking to and from school. It is very important that our children spend time outdoors to enhance their learning; however, as parents, we have to provide required protection for their skin and eyes.

Slip Slop Slap
It has been shown that only 32% of Australian children protect their eyes from UV compared to 57% of their Australian parents (according to WHO research 2001). The good news is that we have easy access to protection UV eyewear in Australia; wearing a wide-brimmed hat and good quality sunglasses will reduce glare and stop the harmful UV rays that can penetrate our children’s eyes.

I must admit, as a parent myself, it is difficult to be consistent and persistent to get our child to wear sunglasses. When you have found some good sunglasses with proper UV protection, let your child have a say and pick out the design of the sunglasses they want. This will encourage them to actually wear them. Also, remember to model the wearing sunglasses habit; as our children like to copy their grown-ups.

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