August Is National Children's Vision and Learning Month

This August marks the seventh annual observance of National Children's Vision and Learning Month, highlighting the vital role vision plays in academic success.

The study "Visual Factors that Significantly Impact Academic Performance,"  found that "visual factors are significantly better predictors of academic success as measured by the Iowa Test of Basic Skills than is race or socio-economics."Another study, "Improvement in Academic Behaviors After Successful Treatment of Convergence Insufficiency" showed that a "successful or improved outcome after CI [convergence insufficiency] treatment was associated with a reduction in the frequency of adverse academic behaviors and parental concern associated with reading and school work as reported by parents." (Convergence Insufficiency (CI) is an eye coordination disorder which can make reading difficult, even for the brightest of children.)

While most schools assume they have ruled out vision problems by performing cursory vision screenings, vision screenings only detect approximately 5% of actual vision problems, according to the press release from the College of Optometrists in Visual Development.

PSAs Available for National Children's Vision and Learning Month (Aug.)

The College of Optometrists in Visual Development (COVD) and the AOA (American Optometric Association) are working together to create an effective National Children’s Vision and Learning Month campaign, which starts in August. COVD has released a series of public service announcements (PSAs) about the variety of vision problems that interfere with learning, sports performance, and other activities. The PSAs can be downloaded at www.covd.org.