Wow Vision Therapy Blog

As the school year winds down, many parents breathe a sigh of relief—no more homework battles, reading frustrations, or late-night struggles to complete assignments. But as you reflect on your child’s or teen’s challenges this past year, it’s important to consider whether their academic difficulties may be linked to an often-overlooked issue: hidden vision problems.

When Good Eyesight Isn’t Enough

For many school-age children and teens, vision challenges aren’t about needing glasses or contacts. Instead, they involve the way the eyes and brain function to take in and process visual information. Even after a routine eye exam that shows healthy eyes and good eyesight, your child may still be facing problems rooted in poor visual function, which can significantly affect their ability to read, learn, and thrive in school.

Common Signs of a Hidden Vision Problem:

• Struggles with Reading Fluency: Reading is slow, choppy, or uncomfortable.
• Dislikes Reading or Avoids It: Your child may say that reading is “hard” or “boring.”
• Homework Is a Daily Battle: It takes far too long to complete assignments.
• Poor Handwriting: Letters may be reversed, sloppy, or inconsistently formed.
• Frequent Letter Reversals: Confusing “b” and “d” or “p” and “q.”
• Attention and Concentration Problems: Easily distracted or mentally exhausted.
• Headaches or Eye Strain: Often after reading or doing homework.
• Frustration, Anxiety, or Low Self-Esteem: Especially when tasks require reading or writing.

If any of these sound familiar, your child may be dealing with a developmental vision problem that involves:

• Convergence Insufficiency (CI): Difficulty keeping the eyes aligned for reading.
• Accommodative Dysfunction: Problems with the eyes focusing on a book, screen or near tasks.
• Oculomotor Dysfunction: Trouble tracking words accurately and efficiently across a page.
• Visual Processing Delays: Difficulty with spatial concepts and/or remembering what is seen.
• Visual-Motor Coordination Delays: Poor hand-eye coordination, leading to messy handwriting or struggles with fine motor tasks.

Why Summer Is the Ideal Time for Vision Therapy

Summer break provides a unique opportunity to address these vision challenges head-on—without the pressures of schoolwork or a busy academic schedule. At Wow Vision Therapy, we offer individualized programs that target the specific vision skills your child needs to improve, including:

• Eye Teaming: Developing coordination between the eyes to reduce double vision and strain.
• Eye Tracking: Enhancing smooth, accurate eye movements for fluent reading.
• Focusing Abilities: Strengthening the ability to maintain clear vision on near tasks.
• Visual Processing: Building the brain’s ability to process, interpret and remember visual information.
• Visual-Motor Coordination: Improving hand-eye coordination for better handwriting and spatial awareness.

Completing a vision therapy program during the summer means your child can return to school in the fall with improved reading skills, greater confidence, and a readiness to succeed. Plus, we can work around your family’s summer vacation plans to ensure your child doesn’t miss out on essential therapy or family fun.

Why Act Now?

Our summer schedule at Wow Vision Therapy tends to fill up quickly. Don’t miss the chance to give your child a fresh start next school year by addressing these vision problems now. If your child has been struggling academically, emotionally, or socially, a comprehensive developmental vision evaluation is the first step toward lasting improvement.

Schedule Your Evaluation Today!

We’re here to help children of all ages—elementary, middle school, and high school—get the vision care they need to thrive. Contact us today at our St. Joseph or Grand Rapids locations to reserve your appointment.

Don’t wait—summer is the perfect time to give your child the gift of better vision and a brighter future.
 

Visit us at wowvision.net or call us to book your child’s developmental vision evaluation.

Dan L. Fortenbacher, O.D., FOVDR

Founder, Wow Vision Therapy