Giuliana Baggoley 60% of Problem Learners Suffer Poor Vision Interview

Giuliana Baggoley 60% of Problem Learners Suffer Poor Vision Interview

Sixty per cent of children who are 'problem learners' have been found to suffer from undetected vision problems, warn optometrists who are encouraging all parents to have their children's eyes tested as part of Children's Vision Day.

Undetected vision problems are estimated to affect approximately one in four Australian children - or 600,000 nationally - which may contribute to potential learning difficulties in reading, writing, viewing a whiteboard, computer use and other classroom activities.

Optometrists Association Australia's Children's Vision Day was held on 15 August 2012, themed 'good vision, good learning', to raise awareness about the importance of looking after the health of children's eyes throughout their schooling.

Children's Vision Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of good vision in children, especially as it relates to successful learning and positive behaviour in the classroom. Schools throughout Australia have been encouraged to organise a variety of activities and to invite their local optometrists to take part.

"We know that vision plays a significant part in the learning process for a child and there's a definite link between vision impairment and educational outcomes," said OAA Professional Services Manager, Jared Slater.

"We all rely on good vision to see clearly and sharply. Vision problems can make learning difficult and stressful and prevent children from achieving their full potential.
"Parents and teachers should watch for signs that a child may have a vision problem, including avoidance of reading and writing, lower comprehension and short attention span. These are sometimes incorrectly suspected as the outcomes of learning disabilities such as dyslexia or attention deficits.
"Most importantly, the common vision problems among school-aged children can with early detection be easily managed or corrected by an optometrist," Slater said.

All children should have their eyes examined by an optometrist prior to starting school and regularly thereafter to detect and manage vision problems promptly and prevent eye conditions that can lead to permanent vision impairment.

Eye examinations with an optometrist attract a Medicare rebate and no referral is required. To find your local optometrist, visit: www.optometrists.asn.au
For information on Children's Vision Day and to download the Parent's Guide to Good Vision, visit www.optometrists.asn.au/childrensvision

Five performance issues that may indicate your child has a vision problem:
1. Skipping or re-reading lines
2. Omitting or confusing words when reading
3. Poor comprehension when reading
4. Homework taking much longer than it should
5. Short attention span with reading and school work.

Other signs to look out for include:
One eye turns in or out while the other points straight ahead
Frequent blinking
Red or watery eyes
Covering or closing one eye
Holding a book very close to read
Squinting or sitting very close when watching television
Complaints of headaches
Complaints of blurred or double vision

Interview with Giuliana Baggoley

Question: What is the relationship between problem learners and undetected vision problems?

Giuliana Baggoley: The typical presentation is when a parent comes in to have their children's eyes tested and in their mind they're thinking it is a routine check and then they will move to learning difficulties and disability testing. Once you conduct a basic or comprehensive visual examination you discover things such as the child may be short sighted or have a prescription that needs a correction; or they may have a problem with their focusing ability whether that is an inability to focus smoothly from the board to the book which is something we can work out in questioning a child about the main problems. Parents often will report that when they're listening to their child read the first minute is pretty good but after the second and third minute the child becomes easily distracted and trails off which could be an inability to maintain clear focus for a sustained period of time and an inability to track the lines smoothly when reading.


Question: At what age should children begin having their eyes tested?

Giuliana Baggoley: We can see children at any age and there are certainly specific problems that will present at different ages. We may see a six month old who has quiet a noticeable eye turn which is quiet distinct from a learning issue. We get a lot of objective information and we can assess by observing and checking pupil reflexes, following eye movement and using the instruments that we have which don't require any feedback.

Beyond that, if a child can match shapes and give yes or no answers (not about whether the vision is clear) it will be very useful for us as well as extracting a lot of information that doesn't require a child's feedback.

We recommend that before a child enters their school years they come and have a comprehensive eye examination at which stage a lot of them can read numbers, letters or at the very least shape match.


Question: How often should Australians have their eyes tested?

Giuliana Baggoley: The standard recommendation is every two years. If I see a child who is about to begin school or in their first year and has no visual problems that I can see, I'd say every three to five years - a couple of times throughout their school life. The likelihood or risk of developing an eye condition or presenting with an eye prescription that needs correction increases with age, generally speaking.

In adulthood every two years is the recommendation period between comprehensive eye examinations.


Question: What is the importance of Children's Vision Day?

Giuliana Baggoley: There are two things we really hoped to do and one is raise awareness for the message that we are always trying to get across which is that it is very easy to present and have an eye examination, you don't need a referral and the majority of Optometrists will bulk-bill the examination. An eye examination is affordable for Australians and it doesn't take that long, often only 30 minutes; typically you won't need to return for further tests unless an Optometrist discovers something they want to investigate further. The examination is very straight forward and not painful.


Question: Can you talk about this year's theme, good vision, good learning?

Giuliana Baggoley: What is particularly important about Children's Vision Day is that the testing is extra important because vision problems can have such an impact on their learning and people often don't think about it. As well as with children when it comes to their vision they don't know what normal is and you so often hear when you correct a child's vision or adults who had classes when they were younger that "they thought everyone saw the way they did and when they see leaves on the trees for the first time they realise that what they had been seeing was not normal" or when they realise they don't have to be absolutely exhausted when they're reading.

It's standard that I will not ask a child whether things are blurry or clear because they don't know what blurry and clear is necessarily. Particularly with young children who are in a whole new school environment we're perhaps quick at times to write things off as learning disabilities or that people are finding things hard and a child will readily accept that as well.

Children don't know themselves which is why it so worthwhile they have their eyes checked.


Question: What do we need to do, daily, to protect our eyes?

Giuliana Baggoley: Generally most people have a fair idea about how to protect their eyes such as sunglasses for UV protection and sensible sun protection including a broad rimmed hat between 10am and 3pm to help reduce UV exposure. Be particularly mindful of children's vision by limiting sessions on the computer to under two hours and making sure that children take regular breaks, we recommend breaks every 20 minutes which include extending focus and looking elsewhere.

Room lighting needs to be even and not too dark and along with that try to minimise reflection and glare from screens whether that is on computer screen or television screen. One thing that is really emerging as having real value is encouraging a lot of outdoor activity because research is showing now that it has the potential to reduce the risk and severity of short sightedness and Myopia.


Interview by Brooke Hunter