Can you believe it’s August already? The summer sure flew by! Don’t worry though—you still have time to make sure that your child has the supplies he or she needs to excel in the classroom: glasses or contacts. Ever wonder about the depths of their importance, though? We’ll explain by highlighting some important vision skills needed for school.
Hand-eye coordination
Jumping rope at recess. Playing sheet music. Coloring pictures. All of these tasks require hand-eye coordination. If your child struggles with them, he or she may need a vision exam.
Focusing
Focusing—it’s easier said than done. However, your student may have an unnecessary obstacle in the way if he or she can’t focus his or her eyes. Vision therapy can work wonders for this problem!
Recognition
This is especially important when your child is learning how to read and write. Many letters look alike, such as “p” and “q.” If your student cannot distinguish them, it can make everyday tasks into Herculean efforts.
Visual acuity
That’s basically the official term for “viewing stuff from far away.” Think about it like this: when your child doesn’t have visual acuity, his or her seat in the classroom can instantly take points off his or her grade. After all, if your student can’t read the board, he or she can’t absorb each lesson of the day.
Tracking
How many of us have gone through a dodgeball game unscathed? Don’t brag if you did! One of the things that may have allowed you to avoid the ball is a vision skill called “tracking.” It’s what happens when your eye follows the moving path of an object. It also applies to reading. If your child cannot correctly follow the words in a book, he or she may experience difficulty with tracking.
Eye teaming
On the field and in the classroom, eye teaming is one of the big vision skills needed for school. Essentially, it’s what happens when your eyes work in sync to help your child read, play sports, and judge depth.
Retention
Struggling to read the page means that your child will not be able to keep all the information in his or her head. Ultimately, this will just lead to more problems down the road, especially when the teacher hands out tests or quizzes on the subject.
Summary
Preparing for back-to-school season doesn’t end at picking out school supplies. It also includes making sure that your child’s yearly vision exam is up-to-date. So, help your little one succeed at school—and acquire the vision skills needed for school—at your local Mississippi Eye Care clinic. Finally, open your eyes to a world of healthy sight on our blog!
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