Learn why your child is struggling in school

You or your child may be suffering from a functional vision problem, such as poor depth perception or the inability to follow a line of text on a page. In two steps, find out if it's an undetected vision problem.

STEP 1: Take the Vision Quiz

Let's see if you have the symptoms of a “functional vision problem.” Before you take the quiz, know that:

It's ok to skip a question if you don't know the answer.
Some questions are based on how a child functions in the classroom. Send a link to this page to your child's teacher and ask he or she to take the quiz, too.
The quiz applies to both adults and children.

A score of 20 or more, or the persistence of 1-2 symptoms indicates the need for testing. Click on the boxes next to the numbers.

0=Never / I don't know, 1=Seldom, 2=Occasionally, 3=Frequently, 4=Always

SYMPTOM	SCORE
Headaches from near work	0 1 2 3 4
Double vision when reading	0 1 2 3 4
Burning, itchy, watery eyes	0 1 2 3 4
Skips/repeats lines when reading	0 1 2 3 4
Head tilt/closes one eye when reading	0 1 2 3 4
Difficulty copying from board	0 1 2 3 4
Avoids near work/reading	0 1 2 3 4
Omits small words when reading	0 1 2 3 4
Writes uphill or downhill	0 1 2 3 4
Misaligns digits/columns of numbers	0 1 2 3 4
Poor reading comprehension	0 1 2 3 4
Holds reading material too close	0 1 2 3 4
Trouble keeping attention on reading	0 1 2 3 4
Difficulty completing assignments on time	0 1 2 3 4
Always says "I can't" before trying	0 1 2 3 4
Clumsy, knocks things over	0 1 2 3 4
Does not use his/her time well	0 1 2 3 4
Loses belongings/things	0 1 2 3 4
Forgetful/poor memory	0 1 2 3 4

FAQs about a Functional Vision Exam and Vision Therapy

What exactly is a functional vision problem?

Functional vision is how your entire visual system -- the eyes, the brain, the visual pathways -- work together to help you interact with your environment. Functional vision problems typically involve impaired visual skills such as poor eye teaming, eye focusing and / or eye movement.

Can my regular optometrist perform a functional vision exam?

Not all optometrists have the advanced training or equipment required to perform a functional vision exam, which is why many refer their patients to The Vision Therapy Center. We work with many general optometrists, complementing their services when special cases like these arise.

Why don’t schools conduct these tests?

A large percentage of students don’t have vision problems, and conducting these tests on every child would be costly. Vision screenings are less costly, but limited in scope. Many of these screenings involve little more than reading letters on a distance eye chart, a test that cannot determine if a child has the visual skills necessary for effective reading and learning.

What happens if it is a functional vision problem?

Then we can use vision therapy to help. Vision therapy is a non-invasive procedure that retrains the visual system to function properly. Learn more about it here.

Does that mean my child will need vision therapy if he or she gets a functional vision exam?

No. The vision exam is conducted to determine if you or your child even has a vision problem. It’s not uncommon for us to find that only a change in a glasses prescription is needed. But the testing is critical to get to the root cause of a child’s learning issues.

Do you have any examples of other children who have been helped by vision therapy?

Please watch the two videos below. You can also visit this page to see other success stories.

The Vision Therapy Center, Inc. – Phone: 262-784-9201 FAX 262-784-9206

Locations

The Vision Therapy Center, Inc. - Brookfield, WI
13255 W Bluemound Rd #200
Brookfield, WI 53005
262-784-9201
Brookfield hours of operation / 8 am - 6 pm M-Th - 8 am - 5 pm F

The Vision Therapy Center, Inc. - Madison, WI
4781 Hayes Rd #103
Madison, WI 53704
262-784-9201
Madison hours of operation / 9:15 am - 5:45 pm Th

The Vision Therapy Center FDL, LLC - Fond du Lac, WI
101 Wisconsin American Drive, Suite 800
Fond du Lac, WI 54937
262-784-9201
Fond du Lac hours of operation / 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Tues