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Vision Problems Affect How Children Learn Math Skills

AURORA, Ohio, Aug. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- In the most recent issue of Optometry & Vision Development, two articles were published by German scientist and researcher, Dr. Burkhart Fischer and his team which found that children with vision problems have a hard time learning basic mathematical skills and that if the appropriate vision therapy is given, math skills improve.

Dr. Fischer's work has been featured on several German television news programs which reported on his research in the area of deficits in vision and eye movement control, as well as his success using vision therapy and its ability to improve reading. It has been pointed out, that his results show the importance of brain research in the field of deficits in vision function, academic performance and eye movements. Unfortunately many individuals do not know about the importance of eye movements as an integral part of vision and learning. Children with learning problems at school can profit from these new methods of diagnosing and treating these learning related vision problems.

Dr. Fischer notes that, "My research shows that vision function and eye movement control can affect a child's development even into young adulthood. It is important for children to have a comprehensive assessment for the presence of learning related vision disorders in order to know why they may be having difficulties in reading and spelling skills, as well as obtaining basic arithmetic ability at school."

He goes on to state, "Teachers, doctors, psychologists, therapists, and parents must be informed about these new facts in order to be able to help children overcome their deficits. It may make little sense to teach reading or math skills to someone who has deficits in basic sensory, visual and/or optomotor processing."

Dr. Burkart Fischer and his team conduct their research at the Center of Neuroscience, Optomotor Laboratory, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Federal Republic of Germany.

Imagine seeing the world and everything in it as flat.

The distance between your car and the one in front of you is difficult, if not impossible, to gauge.

That's the two dimensional world Cindy Monter lived in, until now.

"In 2D, I'd see shadows and I wouldn't know how big you are, because you'd look totally flat," said Monter.

"Her brain wants to use both eyes at the same time," said Carl Hillier, O.D., FCOVD, San Diego Center for Vision Care.

According to Hillier, the 50-year old Monter was told she'd never be able to see in 3D. He helped her change that prediction using vision therapy.

Vision therapy consists of exercises designed to improve vision by training the entire visual system, eyes, brain, body, to change the way they work.

Walking to a meter while reading or drawing circles outside of her field of vision helped retrained Monter's brain to see the way most of us do.

"It's a wild experience getting 3D vision after never having it," said Monter. "After 6 months I had acquired 3D vision and I had no idea what I had. I thought I had the flu for a week."

"Vision really occurs in the brain it doesn't really occur in the eye," explained Dr. Hillier.

The therapy doesn't work for everyone but Monter advises others with 2D vision to investigate the possibilities.

"Even if you're over 40, who cares?" said Monter. "If it improves the quality of life as much as it's improved mine then it's worth a try."

Have your child's eyes been tested yet?

Studies show one in four elementary school students have vision problems.

Without testing, those problems can lead to a misdiagnosis of learning disorders.

Dexter Stark's teachers decided to hold him back a year because he was having trouble reading.

"I wasn't good at it and I didn't want to do it," Dexter said.

"We were told that he's just slow, but that didn't sit right with me," said Dexter's mom.

It turns out there was nothing wrong with Dexter's learning or behavior. He just couldn't keep his eyes on the page.

It's one of the vision problems that are hard to catch in children without an eye test. Instead, they're often misdiagnosed with ADD.

"They act out because they're not comfortable in a classroom setting and many of these children are also misdiagnosed as having a learning problem, when it's really a treatable vision problem," said optometrist Elise Brisco said.

She said children should be tested if they have poor handwriting or drawing skills, difficulty catching a ball, or maintaining eye contact.

Dexter's vision therapy works on eye muscle control and coordination. Now his eyes are working better together, like a team.

"He's gained a lot of self confidence and he reads every day," said Dexter's mom.

The earlier a problem is found, the better, because the brain cells that control vision only develop during the first ten years of life.

More and more studies are revealing children are often misdiagnosed as having attention deficit disorder when their struggles could actually stem from their vision.

That includes some children who have 20- 20 vision on standard eye tests because visual skills like close- up and depth perception are often not tested.

The specialized vision care uses vision therapy that helps improve visual skills needed for improving reading and focus.

Developmental optometrists are encouraging parents and teachers to test their children for vision problems, like they did recently at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Elementary school in Northwest Tucson.

Lawton - When most of us think about our eyes it's when we wonder whether or not we need glasses.

But one out of four can't - because that 25% have what's called an "eye teaming" problem. Its most often caught during childhood as children exhibit reading problems, but it's not just kids who are diagnosed. 7News reporter Andrea Charles has an eye teaming problem, too:

I was one of the kids who slipped through the cracks. I didn't realize I had any sort of problem with my eyes until I started working at 7News. It was then that I discovered I had problems reading the teleprompter and would sometimes skip lines as I read. So, after my doctor diagnosed an eye teaming problem, I began treatment to teach my eyes to work together.

I've been working with Dr. Damon White for four months and visit him on a weekly basis. Dr. White is a Visual Skills Specialist who treats learning related vision problems and it's his job to help patients eyes learn to work properly. "We're changing the way the patients brain uses their eyes," he says. And, with Dr. White's help I've been practicing eye exercises that should significantly improve

Similar to dyslexia, the eye teaming problem could cause a person to flip lower case B's to D's and vice versa. That's exactly what was happening to me. I've had problems focusing my entire life and was always told that I have Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD. But, after I became a reporter for 7News and started skipping lines while reading on the air I knew something was wrong.

So, after a lot of research on my own, I sought the help of a specialist. There are quite a few symptoms to eye related learning problems so it's always important to consult a specialist before diagnosing yourself or your child. But, Dr. White told me that there are some definite signs that someone could have an eye teaming problem. They may include:

• Headaches
• Difficulty reading
• Comprehension problems
• Sleepiness while reading
• Blurring of words
• Flipping letters and words
• Getting lost
• Skipping words or lines

If these warning signs sound familiar - it may signal you have an eye problem - specifically, an eye teaming problem. Vision deficits tend to be more noticeable in children while they're in school. Often teachers will notice if a child is starting to strain while reading. "They're in school starting to struggle they're being compared and something will be detected just because of the fact they're not being successful," says White.

That's what happened to third grader Calysta Burnett. She was seeing double, had blurry vision and her eyes would get watery and red. That's when Dr. White stepped in and after six months of treatment she's a changed girl. "It's a lot easier because its clearer and also I wont be embarrassed to go on a double line and I like not having to read the same line over and over again," says Calysta. And, her mother says she sees a huge difference. She's glad they caught her vision problems early. "She loves to read now, she'll finish chapter books in 2 or 3 days as before it was really a struggle, she really loves to read now and spelling has been huge for her," she says.

Dr. White says eye teaming problems aren't always recognized by a general eye doctor because the deficiencies wouldn't always be spotted during a routine exam. "There are tons of people who struggle with these problems and they're not getting identified right now. I think the word has to get out, and we will have to start talking about it," he says.

Disabilities in learning or otherwise can also create significant self esteem problems. And, it's nearly impossible for someone with eye teaming problems to understand that others don't see the world the way they do.

"You're sitting in that class room, you're working hard you're not successful at it," says White. "You began to think you're slow or someone else is smarter than you, and it can actually be a physical correctable problem." So, if you or your child is struggling, consider the possibility that it may be an eye teaming problem.

I've been in eye treatment for the past four months and can already see a big difference. I still have a long way to go, but I'll get there.

DAUGHTER'S SCHOOL WOES ARE CAUSED BY DISORDER OF SIGHT

DEAR ABBY: Please help me get the word out about a common condition that severely affects children's ability to succeed in school because it inhibits reading, spelling and concentration. My daughter, who was obviously bright, tested at first-grade reading level in fifth grade. She had undergone all the school testing for learning disabilities, plus two days of testing at a respected university hospital. None of these tests or specialists revealed what could be wrong with her.

My child's self-esteem suffered. Her confidence faltered; she began acting out in school. At home she was a great kid, until it came time for schoolwork. Then the battles began. She thought she was dumb. When studying, she could read for only a very short time. She often begged me to read things to her. When working on spelling and assigned to rewrite the words she missed five times, she often recopied them wrong. We thought she just wasn't trying.

After much research on the Internet, I came across a disorder called "convergence insufficiency disorder." This visual condition is the leading cause of eyestrain. Fortunately, we had the opportunity to have her tested at the Mayo Clinic, where her condition was confirmed, and she was successfully treated with vision therapy.

It was as though a miracle had occurred. After six months of treatment, my daughter is almost at her age-appropriate reading level. Her comprehension and retention have markedly increased, and her self-esteem and attitude about reading are much better.

Children with this condition will not benefit from tutoring, special education or extra help from teachers until the condition is diagnosed and treated. My child had 20/20 vision and still had this disorder. It's not routinely checked with eye exams, and schools don't test for it.

DEAR ANGIE: I am pleased to help you get the word out to other families whose children are struggling to learn. After reading your letter, I contacted my experts at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and was informed that this problem, where the eyes drift too much inward (or outward) in attempting to focus, can also be present in adults.

The symptoms can include eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision, sleepiness and trouble retaining information when reading. Other symptoms associated with convergence insufficiency include a "pulling" sensation around the eyes, the rubbing or closing of one eye when reading, words seeming to "jump" or "float" across the page, needing to reread the same line of words, frequent loss of place, general inability to concentrate and short attention span.

The good news is: Vision exercises can fix the problem in most cases, some done at home and some performed in-office with a vision therapist. Prism glasses are another option; however, they are more often prescribed for adults with this disorder than for children.

I've decided to take a more active approach towards blogging.  In order to make it easier for me and more accessible to others, I've moved my blog to:

www.drksvisionquest.blogspot.com

 Please join me there!

 Dr. K

My new online Vision Skill Building Program - Integrative Vision Skills has been launched.  Check it out!

http://integrativevisionskills.com

From the Wall Street Journal:

 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123207803343289089.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

January 16, 2009
 
By REED ALBERGOTTI

While they're not over yet, this year's National Football League playoffs have already produced one spectacle for the ages: the remarkable ability of Arizona Cardinals' wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald to pluck passes out of the sky.

As the Cardinals prepare to face Philadelphia in Sunday's NFC championship game, Mr. Fitzgerald's acrobatics are the talk of the NFL. They have also stirred up a mystery: in photographs, Mr. Fitzgerald can often be seen doing something almost unfathomable: making catches with his eyes closed. "I don't understand it myself," he says.

On paper, Mr. Fitzgerald is not an extraordinary athlete. He's not the tallest receiver in the NFL or the best leaper. His 40-yard-dash time of 4.63 seconds at the 2004 NFL scouting combine is mediocre for the position. To explain his 1,431 yards receiving this season and his ability to haul in footballs with one hand or hold on to them while being pounded by defenders, most analysts say he must have soft hands, great timing or excellent body positioning.

But after 20 years of studying the eyes of elite athletes, and after taking into account two unusual opportunities Mr. Fitzgerald had as a child, one prominent researcher believes his catching talent has less to do with his hands and feet than his eyes and brain. The two catalysts for Mr. Fitzgerald's success may, in fact, be his stint as a teenage ballboy for the Minnesota Vikings and the summer days he spent at his grandfather's optometry clinic.

Joan Vickers, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Calgary, studies the eye movements of elite hockey goaltenders, baseball hitters, and tennis and volleyball players by having them play while wearing special goggles equipped with cameras that film their eyes. After watching Mr. Fitzgerald's 166-yard performance against the Carolina Panthers last week on television, she believes his talent reflects a mastery of two cognitive skills she has observed -- one called "the quiet eye" and another known as "predictive control."

While running downfield at a full sprint, Dr. Vickers says, no receiver has an easy time focusing intently on the football. To track its flight pattern, Dr. Vickers says, receivers like Mr. Fitzgerald have to glean whatever information they can about its speed, direction and rotation long before the ball gets close enough to catch. In some cases, she says, a receiver's only chance to predict where the football will end up may come at the moment the quarterback lets go of the ball. To make a correct call, the receiver has to operate his eyes like a camera: opening the shutter, holding the lens steady and taking a snapshot with the longest possible exposure.

Visual Dominance: Mr. Fitzgerald's grandfather, Dr. Robert Johnson, a Chicago optometrist, put him through several drills to strengthen his eye-hand coordination, including one with a painted ball and a colored rolling pin.
The ability to maintain a level and strong gaze on a distant object for an unusually long period of time, even while moving, is something Dr. Vickers calls "the quiet eye." Her research suggests the difference between great athletes and good ones -- at least when it comes to sports that involve flying balls or pucks -- is the ability to lock down on these objects longer.

Mr. Fitzgerald may have a clear advantage in this area. When he was young, his grandfather, Robert Johnson, the founder of a optometry clinic in Chicago, set out to make sure his grandson had "visual dominance" -- at first because he was having trouble in school. From the time Mr. Fitzgerald was in first grade, during summer visits, Mr. Johnson would take him to the clinic and have him stand on balance beams and wobbly boards while doing complicated hand-eye drills. By the time his grandson was 12 and emerging as an athlete, Dr. Johnson tailored many of these exercises to athletics. To improve the boy's precision, control, spatial judgment and rhythm, for instance, Dr. Johnson would hang a painted ball from the ceiling and have him try to hit the colored dots on the ball with the matching colored stripes on a rolling pin.

Mr. Fitzgerald says he believes the training helped him on the football field. "When you're at that age, anything that helps strengthen your eyes and eye-hand coordination is going to definitely help with catching the ball," he says.

The second skill Dr. Vickers sees in Mr. Fitzgerald is predictive control -- the brain's ability to gather information from the eyes and use it to predict what will happen next.

Dr. Vickers says the best goalies and tennis players she's studied have two skills. First, they use the quiet-eye technique to take a clear snapshot of an approaching object and then, while it approaches them, will instantly compare it to a vast library of memories drawn from years of practice and observation. By matching that object with others, they can make a perfect calculation of where it will go and how to put themselves in position to make the play -- even if they aren't looking at the ball. The best athletes, then, can succeed without having to open their eyes. "It's a very, very amazing cognitive skill," she says.

For Mr. Fitzgerald, this means that after scanning a newly thrown ball with his quiet eye, he turns on the microprocessor in his head and downloads every similar pass he's seen until he's made a calculation about where this ball is likely to land. "People don't realize it," says Mr. Johnson, Mr. Fitzgerald's grandfather, "but we actually see with our brains."

Mr. Fitzgerald may have a better mental computer than most NFL receivers. Growing up in Minnesota his sportswriter father, Larry Fitzgerald Sr., helped his son get a job as a ballboy for the hometown Vikings for six seasons during his teenage years. This enabled the young Mr. Fitzgerald to see thousands of passes thrown and caught from the sidelines, to absorb these images up close in three dimensions and to study superstar receivers like Cris Carter and Randy Moss. Dr. Vickers says these experiences probably left Mr. Fitzgerald with a catalog of millions of impressions that would take most athletes years to build.

For Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner and the rest of the Cardinals offense, Mr. Fitzgerald's performance this season has made him a viable target even when he's smothered by defenders. He's also sparkled in the playoffs. In the first round against the Atlanta Falcons, he caught a touchdown in double coverage. Last week, with the team trailing the Carolina Panthers, he tipped the ball to himself while being violently sandwiched by two defenders, coming down with an implausible 41-yard play that "kick-started" the offense, according to Mr. Warner.

On Thanksgiving, when the Cardinals and Eagles last met, Mr. Fitzgerald found himself wide open on a pass play in the fourth quarter. As Eagles defensive backs converged on him, he leapt into the air and came down with a pass that most receivers might have missed. A still photograph (see above) later revealed that Mr. Fitzgerald's eyes were closed as he grabbed the ball.

When asked about the photo, Mr. Fitzgerald says he thinks his eyes were shut because he was bracing for the hit and that his instinct for catching passes is "second nature." Dr. Vickers believes it could be a textbook case of an athlete using predictive control to know exactly where to place his hands.

"I don't know how he makes those catches," says Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt, "but there's no doubt Larry has an ability to catch a ball that is special."

Write to Reed Albergotti at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it