What do Larry Fitzgerald, Governor Doyle and The Vision Therapy Center have in common?
- Larry Fitgerald received vision therapy.
Arizona Cardinal’s All-Pro Wide Receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Governor James Doyle, local developmental optometrist Kellye Knueppel, and a host of Wisconsin communities are joining forces in August to increase awareness of National Children’s Vision and Learning month.
The Governor and other cities have issued proclamations declaring August as Children’s Vision and Learning Month in the state of Wisconsin. Larry Fitzgerald has added his own personal story to the effort.
Fitzgerald was diagnosed with a vision problem at an early age by his grandfather, a developmental optometrist. He had been suffering from a vision problem that was preventing him from paying attention in school. He underwent a process called vision therapy, which he now credits for much of his on-field success.
“The public doesn’t realize that you need over 15 visual skills to succeed in reading, learning, sports, and in life. Seeing ‘20/20’ is just one of those visual skills,” said Fitzgerald.
The fact is echoed by developmental optometrist Kellye Knueppel of The Vision Therapy Center. Dr. Knueppel and her staff have helped over 2,000 patients overcome vision problems. Many of those patients had problems that went undetected by 20/20 eyesight testing.
The numbers might be surprising to some, but not to Dr. Knueppel. According to the Public Health Association, 25 percent of students in grades K-6 have visual problems that are serious enough to impede learning. “We’ve only treated a small percentage of kids that actually have problems that are affecting their ability to learn,” Dr. Knueppel said. “These vision problems are going undiagnosed.”
As part of a larger overall effort led by the College of Optometrists in Vision Development, Dr. Knueppel and local government officials hope that growing public awareness can result in more testing and subsequently help solve these learning issues.
“People don’t understand that the typical vision screening that takes places at schools is not enough to detect a vision problem,” she said. Problems such as convergence disorder, in which the eyes don’t work as a team, can only be detected using specific tests performed by a developmental optometrist.
The five most common signs that a vision problem may be interfering with a child’s ability to read and learn are:
1. Skips lines, rereads lines
2. Poor reading comprehension
3. Takes longer than needed to complete homework
4. Reverses letters like b’s into d’s when reading
5. Has a short attention span with reading and schoolwork
Testing for learning-related vision problems often falls outside the purview of general optometrists, which is why so many partner with The Vision Therapy Center for these types of cases. “If you think your child has a learning-related vision problem, it’s important to ask the right questions, Knueppel said. “Ask if they test for learning-related problems, and if they do, then make sure they’ll either provide an in-office vision therapy program or refer you to someone who will.
For a quick tool to help parents and teachers determine if a child might have a vision problem, take the Vision Quiz or call 262-784-9201.
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