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What is Vision Perception?
Vision Problems and Learning 
When Learning problems are related to vision, three are three potential reasons, which are discussed within this brochure:
  1. Refractive Error
  2. Visual Skills
  3. Vision Perception

If your child has a problem in one of the above areas, it is possible that the Doctors at New Image Eye Center may be able to help him/her by assigning activities that will:
  • Strengthen eye muscles so that they will perform more efficiently
  • Help the brain process information more effectively

While these activities take dedication and time, they can be very rewarding to your child's academic achievement, emotional well-being, and self confidence.

Visual Perception Skills That our Doctors Can Test 
  • Visual Spatial Relationships: The ability to determine where things are in space
  • Visual Sequential Memory: The ability to recall a series of numbers, letters, or shapes
  • Visual Form Constancy: The ability to recognize shapes, sizes, textures, and their positions in space
  • Visual Figure Ground:  The ability to find a figure with other forms hidden in the background
  • Visual Discrimination: The ability to tell the difference between similar objects
  • Visual Closure: The ability to recognize an incomplete object to mentally "fill-in" the missing section
  • Visual Motor Integration: The ability to perform a fine motor action (like writing or cutting) by using the information that they eyes send to the brain
  • Visual Memory: The ability to remember all of the characteristics of a picture   

When learning problems are related to vision, there are three potential reasons: 
  1. Refractive Error 
  2. Visual Skills 
  3. Vision Perception 

Refractive Error 
Your child may have a refractive condition such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism that makes vision blurry all of the time or some of the time (perhaps when tired).  

Younger children most often have farsightedness a condition that causes constant or intermittent blurriness while reading. This can cause constant or intermittent blurriness while reading which can cause them to do poorly at school.

Farsighted children will tire quickly while performing these activities: 
  • Reading
  • Completing paperwork or writing
  • Working on the computer

Because they are tired, the child will have a decreased attention span. They will often exhibit avoidance behaviors towards tasks that involve close-up vision, and may develop headaches as the day progresses. The intermittent blurring while reading can cause the child to blink excessively, squint, and/or bob their head. They may frequently lose their place and have general tracking difficulties.

Farsighted children will be able to focus on the beginning of a word, but as they attempt to sound out a word, the remainder of it blurs. To compensate, the child often fills in some other word that begins with the same sound. Many times, if glasses are prescribed to relieve the eye stress for near work, the child's reading skills and fluency will naturally increase.

Visual Skills 
Visual skills involve the accuracy, efficiency, and strength of the eyes as they work together to focus and move properly.

Some children have good vision, but cannot use their eyes together when performing concentrated near tasks, such as reading or writing. Often their eye muscles lack the strength they need to focus or pull the eyes together to view near objects. Sometimes the eye muscles work too hard and cause the eyes to cross or over-focus, resulting in blurred vision.

Vision Perception Vision perception involves the way the brain interprets the messages it receives from the eyes. When the eyes send a picture of an object to the brain, the brain must accurately pull information from multiple areas to determine the object's size, color, brightness, location in space, and distance from the viewer.

One vision perception problem that is common in children aged 8 and older is called Laterality, or Visual Spatial Relationships. Children with this problem have difficulties determining their left from their right during certain activities. Consequently, they may not realize the difference between certain letters like b and d or p and q. They also may tend to write certain letters or numbers backwards.

Vision perception can be influenced by: 
  • Physiological factors such as image blur and fatigue
  • Psychological factors such as attention span or emotional stress
  • Conscious and unconscious attitudes
  • Environmental factors such as home atmosphere and academic opportunity
  • Any combination of the above factors

Because the influences are so varied, children can display a wide range of symptoms. The majority of patients with vision perception problems are children, but adults also have these problems. Children who do not receive help will probably become adults who have developed a way to compensate for their deficiency, perhaps efficiently, but most likely not.

A child who appears to have a vision perception problem must first have an eye exam to make sure he does not have Refractive Error or Visual Skills problems. In this way, the doctors will know that the eyes are able to send information to the brain properly, and can prescribe glasses if they are needed.

Next, the child will return to the office on a different day, with their glasses, if they were prescribed. During this visit, the child will undergo a Vision Perception Exam to test perceptual skills.
Contact Us
1674 North Limestone Street
Springfield, OH 45503
Phone: 937-399-4101
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