Any idea in the medical community is subject to scrutiny, but the connection between vision and learning should be a foregone conclusion.  However, many people aren’t aware of the impact a properly functioning visual system has on academic progress.It’s not an intentional slight.  The visual system is one of those things taken for granted, especially if you’ve never had a vision problem. 

Unfortunately, many students have poorly performing visual systems.  We’ve compiled a few interesting statistics to underscore our point. 

• 80% of children who are reading disabled, including dyslexics, have vision problems which can be solved.

• 25% of ALL children have a vision problem significant enough to affect their performance in school.

• 95% of first grade nonreaders have significant vision problems. They have nearly 2.5 times more visual problems than first grade high achievers.

• In one California-funded study, recidivism (repeat offenders) reduced from 45% to 16% when wards received on-site optometric vision therapy.

• School vision screenings, such as a Snellen eyechart, detect only 20-30% of vision problems in schools.

• Only 13 % of mothers with children younger than 2 years of age have taken their baby for a functional well-care eye exam. Yet 1 out 10 children is at risk for having an undiagnosed vision problem.

These statistics were pulled from the website visionandlearning.org.  The statistic stating that 25% of all children having a vision problem significant enough to affect their school performance comes from the American Optometric Association, and we refer to it often in this blog.

We’re sure these statistics just scratch the surface of how the visual system impacts academic performance.  They’re a good indicator that we need to place more of an emphasis on good visual health in our schools and our lives.

Learn how undetected vision problems can impact a child's ability to learn.  Download your free Vision and Learning Guide.