THE TOTAL CHILD - EXCELLING THROUGH BETTER VISION

By Dr. William Moskowitz

Great! Your child's teachers have always told you that your Susie or Billy has the potential to be a star athlete, a gifted musician, a gazelle on the dance floor, or even the next Einstein. It's an emotional high for you, even if your child is unaware of the implications of this observation. Now you want to maximize the opportunities to fulfill the prediction. We all want the best for our children. Where do you begin?

Educators now accept that intelligence is not simply a measure of IQ and achievement test performance. Howard Gardner, a well-known name in the field of education, speaks of the seven "multiple intelligences" (ways of knowing) that we need to nurture, in order to draw out the best in all our children: the visual/spatial (a Picasso), the body/kinesthetic (a Michael Jordan), the logical/mathematical (an Einstein), the intrapersonal (a Mother Theresa), the interpersonal (a Freud), the musical/rhythmic (a Billy Joel), and the verbal/linguistic (a Shakespeare). Curricula are being revised to include these areas of achievement. Yet, very often, how we see and how well we interpret what we see, govern a critical aspect of any learning experience.

Did you know that nearly 80% of learning is done through the visual system? Learning is very often a result of modeling one's behavior, actions, and movements after those of a master at the craft. Academic information is gleaned, for the most part, from visual input. Would you send your budding ballerina off to ballet class with broken toe shoes, or your child cellist to music class with a string missing from his instrument? Why, then, would you send them off with anything less than perfect vision?

At this point, we must understand what "perfect" vision is. Most of us have always believed that if you can read the 20/20 line on the eye chart during a traditional eye examination that you are blessed with that wonderful condition of perfection - at least in your eyes. Unfortunately, that is a myth. All this tells you is that you can read a line of print at a distance of 20 feet that you should be able to read from a distance of 20 feet nothing more. In contrast, this visual acuity test is only the tip of the iceberg of a thorough developmental optometric examination. Let me explain.

Sight is a natural mechanical ability of the eyes to respond to light, while vision (which occurs in the brain) is a learned skill for processing information from the eyes. It is the ability to identify, make sense of, and understand what the eyes see. Here are just a few of the visual skills that must be performed at peak efficiency in order for your child to venture forth and successfully conquer his/her world. Tracking is the ability to have both eyes always accurately aimed at an object and moving smoothly together as they follow a fastball in flight or a line of musical notations on a sheet of music. Binocular coordination (eye teaming) is the ability to have both eyes work together to see a clear, single image. Each eye always sees a different image (because they are on different sides of the head) which the brain must then merge into one - how can you hit a fastball if you are seeing two of them at the same time (which one is the actual ball)? Our depth perception and spatial orientation, so critical for success in all physical activity, are dependent upon our eye teaming ability. Accommodation, the ability to look quickly (without blurring) at objects that are very close and then shift to focus on something far away (also without blurring), allows your cellist to read the sheet music while at the same time follow the conductor's baton. Eye-hand coordination is the ability of the eyes to guide or direct the hands, so your budding artist can create a watercolor masterpiece. Focusing, maintaining completely clear vision while performing a task, allows your computer wizard to stare at that screen for what seems like an eternity, while exploring the world at his fingertips.

School screenings and traditional eye exams are not designed to evaluate most of these visual skills. This is fine for the majority of the population. However, one out of four children has a vision problem that would not be detected with a vision screening. So, you could be told that your child's eyes are fine, and, maybe he or she has "perfect vision"; yet, he/she could be functioning with less than "perfect" visual skills.

You are eager to provide your child with exposure to, and the experience of, an enriched environment. You provide the tools necessary for that experience (ballet slippers, protective head gear, a computer). Don't ignore one of the foundations upon which success will be built - your child's vision. Make sure your child's visual development is on track. A developmental optometrist can become an integral part of the support system for the child who is striving for achievement.

In addition to testing acuity (clarity of sight), the developmental optometrist will assess all the visual skills critical for learning: eye movement control, eye focusing at distance and near, depth perception, visual motor integration, visual memory, form perception and eye teaming ability. When enhancement is possible, vision training might be prescribed. This is a planned program of noninvasive procedures and therapeutic activities that improve the visual perceptual system and its impact on the body's other sensory systems. Depending upon your child's needs, stress-relieving lenses (developmental lenses) may be prescribed alone, or in addition to vision training. When under stress, a child notices fewer things, remembers less, learns less and is less productive. The lenses allow the child to work at close range without the physical and, consequently, emotional stress. Concentration also benefits.

With the start of the 2000-2001 school year, now is the perfect time to give your child that back-to-school advantage - a developmental eye exam. The skills mentioned above are also critical for efficient learning in the classroom - for all children, of all ages.

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. William Moskowitz is a board certified developmental/behavioral optometrist who has been in practice for over forty years, providing specialized services for children with vision-based learning problems, as well as adults. He trained at the Gesell Institute at Yale University and is an expert in pediatric developmental optometry. He has lectured internationally and was a contributor to a textbook on pre-school vision. Dr. Moskowitz, whose practice specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of vision-based learning problems, is a popular speaker with parent and professional groups. Individuals and groups can contact his office, the Park Vision Therapy Center, at (908) 725-1772, or his Vision Education Coordinator, Nan Miller, at (609) 882-6987.