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Students who don’t see well don’t learn well. There may be a place to buy eyeglasses in every mall, but for many children, a visit to the eye doctor is a rare event. These children struggle with undiagnosed or untreated vision problems because they don’t have access to screenings or treatment.

Vision screenings and glasses are often prohibitively expensive for children in economically disadvantaged families. The problem is compounded in rural communities where the closest optometrist may be miles away, and families have limited transportation options.

According to the American Public Health Association, 25 percent of K-6 students have vision problems serious enough to impede learning—even those who test 20/20 on an eye chart. A host of other vision problems—such as eye tracking, visual perception or binocular vision—can be present and affect academic performance. Children with these problems are sometimes misdiagnosed with ADHD, dyslexia or other learning disabilities.

Clearly, early childhood vision screenings are imperative, but many children don’t receive them—only 21 percent of preschool children receive comprehensive vision screenings.

Educators are often the first to notice symptoms of visual deficits. Armed with the knowledge that vision problems may manifest in unexpected ways, they can help families find eye care.

If a child exhibits several of the symptoms below, taken from the Children’s Vision Information Network’s vision quiz, she may be struggling with an untreated vision problem:

Headaches while reading or writing

Sliding together or blurring of words when reading

Below-grade-level reading skills

Tendency to lose her place when reading

Head tilt or closed eye when reading

Difficulty copying from the board

Dislike of reading or writing

Leaving out small words when reading

Difficulty writing in a straight line

Burning, itching or watery eyes

Difficulty understanding what she has read

Tendency to hold books very close

Difficulty paying attention when reading

Difficulty finishing assignments on time

Tendency to give up on assignments before trying

Bumping into things, knocking things over

Slow completion of homework

Excessive daydreaming

Inability to stay on task at school

If you suspect one of your students has a vision problem that is impeding her learning, take the first step.

Share your concerns with the child’s family, and identify local resources. Many schools offer free vision screenings for students, and organizations throughout the country provide free or low-cost treatment that can clear the way for students’ academic success.