How Can Kids Benefit from Vision Therapy?

A child with poor visual skills might struggle both in and out of the classroom, as these challenges affect many aspects of their daily life. Struggles with focusing, tracking, or coordinating their eyes can slow down their reading and make it harder to understand what they read. This can lower their self-esteem and sometimes lead to behavioral issues.

If your child is showing signs of poor vision, an eye specialist may recommend vision therapy. Therapy programs can help to improve visual skills. Here are ways kids can benefit from vision therapy.

Improving Reading Ability

Vision therapy can help children dealing with reading difficulties. If your child uses their finger to track works when reading, it may be due to visual tracking problems. Therapy can help the child to develop accurate and smooth eye movements. This reduces their need to use their finger when reading.
 

Vision therapy can change how well a child reads, helping them to understand what they read better and to do it faster. This improvement in reading ability can be a great change for them.
 

Boosting Concentration

Many children who find it hard to focus in class suffer from underlying visual issues. Vision therapy can help to improve eye-brain communication. This contributes to allowing the child to pay attention and focus effectively. After therapy, tasks such as studying or using the computer become easier and more enjoyable.
 

Relieving Tension Headaches

Visual stress and eye strain can cause frequent headaches. Vision therapy gets to the root cause of tension headaches by addressing the underlying issues with visual skills. It makes reading more comfortable and lessens the strain on the eyes. This offers more than just a quick fix; vision therapy brings relief from eye strain symptoms. The resultant relief makes it easier for a child to learn and absorb information effectively.

Improving Child Behavior

Learning difficulties can lead to stress and frustration. When visual challenges lead to frustrating experiences, children might react with negative behavior. Vision therapy goes to the heart of these issues, making learning not just easier but also more enjoyable.

As their visual skills improve, you will likely notice a positive shift in their behavior. With these newfound abilities, children often adopt a more enthusiastic and positive approach to their education.

Improved Sports Performance

Vision therapy can help children experiencing poor athletic performance. Training the visual skills can help during sports. These skills include:
 

• Depth perception.
• Eye-tracking.
• Good peripheral vision.

Vision therapy programs that include boosting hand-eye coordination can enhance sports performance. It can boost overall performance, enabling children to reach their full potential.

Improving Balance

Unsteadiness or poor balance can be due to poor visual skills. The eyes are vital for maintaining equilibrium. Vision specialists can use targeted therapy techniques to train the visual system. These techniques enhance coordination and spatial awareness. Vision therapy can improve a child’s balance and stability, helping to boost their health and welfare.
 

Improving Posture

Visual strain and poor posture can lead to neck pain. People tend to adopt poor head and neck positioning to compensate for poor visual skills. The unnatural posture causes discomfort and neck pain. Vision therapy can help to improve visual efficiency and coordination. This helps to reduce neck strain and promote better posture.
 

Untreated visual issues can limit a child’s potential, impacting their quality of life. Vision therapy programs help to:
 

• Strengthen the visual system.
• Improve eye coordination, visual processing, and tracking abilities.
• Impact a child’s academic performance, social skills, sports abilities, and confidence.
• Address multiple vision-related issues.

An eye care provider can recommend the best program for your child.

For more on how kids can benefit from vision therapy, visit Ciotti Eye Care. Our office is in Riverview, Florida. Call 813.212.7400 to book an appointment today.