Friday Success Story

Letters in particular gave Laurian quite a challenge as she frequently wrote them backwards. A comprehensive vision exam revealed that Laurian was a good candidate for vision therapy to improve her visual tracking skills. This would help her keep better track of where her pencil was going and to better understand the shapes of letters and words.

At age 5, Laurian started writing lots of letters backwards. She needed help with her visual tracking skills and vision therapy was just the thing! Click here to read about her story

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Protect Your Eyes From The Sun

Just like we need sunscreen to protect our skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays, sunglasses play an important role in protecting our eyes from the the damaging effects that UV rays can have on our eyes!

Check out this Sun Protection Tip Sheet from Doctors of Optometry Canada:

To help reduce UV radiation damage to your eyes, consider the following tips:

1) Be conscious of the daily UV index and the many sources of UV radiation, including direct sunlight and reflections from snow, water, sand and pavement.

2) Wear sun protection such as sunglasses, UV-blocking contact lenses and a wide-brimmed hat or baseball cap, when outdoors.

3) Never look directly into, or stare at, the sun.

4) Keep out of direct sunlight between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., when the sun’s rays are strongest.

5) Keep children younger than six months out of direct sunlight. Use a canopy or umbrella as a sun-shield when outdoors.

6) If you require prescription glasses, consider:

  • Variable tint or transitions lenses that darken when exposed to UV light
  • A separate pair of glasses with tinted lenses and UV400 protective coating for outdoor use
  • Contact lenses with UV protection in combination with non-prescription sunglasses (check out the selection of high-quality prescription and non-prescription sunglasses offered by your Doctor of Optometry)

7) If you do not require prescription glasses, choose over-the-counter sunglasses with:

  • A close-fitting, wrap around style frame
  • 100% UVA and UVB blocking lenses
  • Impact resistant lenses
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Kids Need Movement To Learn

In The Out-of-Sync Child, Carol Kranowitz says, “Vision, unlike sight, is not a skill we are born with but rather one we develop gradually as we integrate our sense. Growing up, we learn to make sense of what we see. How? Through movement! Movement, the basis of all learning, teaches the eyes to make sense of sights.”

Kids need movement to learn and develop, but schools have been cutting recess to make time for more instruction and tests. Read how one school in Texas is turning that around: Turns Out Monkey Bars and Kickball Might Be Good For The Brain

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Oculomotor Dysfunction Affects Learning

In the classroom, approximately 80 percent of all academic work requires extremely fine, accurate eye movements and 1 in 5 children have an underdeveloped vision system that can contribute to several learning difficulties.
Here’s how an oculomotor dysfunction could be getting in the way of your child’s learning! This article is a great breakdown of the various visual skills that are needed to succeed in school

Read more: Oculomotor Dysfunction: Why my Child Skips Words, Can’t Cross the Midline, Experiences Double Vision (Integrated Learning Strategies)

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