Vision therapy isn’t just for children of elementary age who struggle with building their reading skills. For those children with poor visual skills that go undetected at earlier ages, the intensified school work and testing in middle and then high school will become more apparent and more burdensome on the teenager. The teen generally has more required reading and often with text of smaller print than they had in elementary school. Testing is often over a longer period of time, taxing the already weak visual system. This student may begin to complain of headaches, stomach aches, or both and may begin to avoid doing homework or studying. For parents who see that their teen’s school or test performance decline in middle school or high school, a developmental vision exam is highly recommended, especially if that child is college-bound, as you will want to correct the deficiencies prior to AP/IB/SAT/ACT testing and certainly before they arrive at college where the reading and visual demands will triple or quadruple. If deficiencies in vision skills are detected, a program of vision therapy can make a world of difference. I have received thank you letters from adults who did vision therapy in high school prior to applying for and attending college—these adults understood the impact the vision therapy made on their ability to perform at the university level.
If you have concerns about your child in middle school or high school, do the VISION SYMPTOMS CHECKLIST HERE.
And if you have any questions about vision therapy or developmental optometry, don’t hesitate to call one of our offices. The phone numbers are on our main page.
Dennis R. Cantwell, O.D., F.C.O.V.D