Eyesight Tips - Avoid Learning Difficulties

by Shirley M.R. Minster

When I was growing up, the annual spring visit by the school nurse to test our eyesight was a big event.  She asked us to cover one eye and recite the letters on an eye chart that was thumbtacked to the wall at the end of the hall.  Then we covered our other eye and repeated the process with other lines.  Later that day some students took letters that encouraged their parents to take their children to an optometrist because the school test indicated that glasses might be needed.

I was in third grade when I took home that note.  My parents set up an appointment and sure enough, Dr. Gribbin prescribed glasses.  I believe they were blue with glittery frames.  How proud I was as my friends oohed and aahed and wished they had glasses, too.  What made me the happiest was that I was able to see things that were just blurs before.  Reading became more enjoyable and writing was no longer a chore.             Eyes are marvelous instruments designed to help us make sense of our world.  When we are born we do not know if we are seeing things clearly or not because we have no frame of reference to judge the difference.  We trust our parents and other adults to recognize certain signs that point to the need for glasses.  Check the following list to help you decide if a trip to the optometrist is indicated.

Eyesight Checklist

            • squints while looking at things in the distance

            • complains of headaches after reading

            • tilts head while reading

            • a short attention span while reading

            • reluctance to read or do math

            • poor grades in school

            • reluctance to do close work such as crafts

            • sits very close to the television or computer

            • holds books close to the face

            • appears to not listen in class

            • inaccuracy when counting telephone lines or other objects far away

            • difficulty tracing lines or doing mazes

            • difficulty staying within the lines of a box while writing

            • poor handwriting (large letters, improperly formed letters)

            • poor eye-hand coordination

            • awkwardness when completing fine motor skills tasks such as lacing, writing, gluing

            • puts hand on the wall while walking down a hall

            • inability to stay on task while completing school work

            • inability to sit still while playing board games

            • difficulty catching balls of various sizes

About the author:

            Shirley is founder of Home Education & Family Services, a full-time service organization offering a wide variety of helps and resources for homeschooling families, and Royal Academy, a unique alternative to traditional schools that is based upon the model of parental involvement in the education of their children. Shirley has worked in the field of education and with homeschooling families located throughout the world for over 25 years.