Output - Why You Came

The final section in our vision model, output is probably the easiest to describe.  Problems in output are the reasons people visit a developmental optometrist.

Some examples:

“Johnny tries really hard, and if I read him the information and then ask him the questions out loud he does great.  As soon as he has to read or write he gets self conscious and struggles”

“Gertrude seems to be falling behind.  Last year in second grade she worked hard and did alright but this year in third grade things seem to have become much harder.  She seems to be falling further and further behind and I know she is trying her best.  It just doesn’t seem to be enough.”

“Thomas avoids school work all the time.  He refuses to sit and focus on his work.  Getting him to complete his homework has become a battle.”

“Tanya has started getting headaches and they really seem to be affecting her school work.  Even her teachers have mentioned it.”

All of the above are all real examples from parents whose children had a developmental exam, and all of these children improved, sometimes with just a pair of glasses.  These children did not know that they had a vision problem and their self-esteem was suffering.   Teachers, parents and tutors all noticed the signs of a vision problem and referred them to an eye doctor who addressed the problem.

Remember children won’t complain about their vision; They do not know normal. They do not know that things should be single and clear on the page when they read.  They do not understand they should not be getting headaches or watery eyes.  They will instead decide they hate school and schoolwork, worse still they erroneously conclude they are stupid and give up.

Most children who get referred for difficulty reading are in  third grade.  Many milder deficiencies can be overcome until third grade.  In third grade children stop learning to read and begin reading to learn.  The print gets much smaller and the amount of reading (and comprehension) expected increases significantly.  Children who worked hard and developed compensation mechanisms previously find those skills inadequate to carry them through third grade.

To sum up out entire visual model, if either the input (the eye portion) or the processing (the brain portion) of vision is junk, the output (school performance) will be junk.  Address the first two and the last should improve.

“Dodge”

William Dodge Perry, OD