August 9, 2018 - Learning Disabilities
Hey folks, it’s Dr. Sam and I want to talk to you today about vision and learning.
This particular subject is very close to my heart because when I was a child I was diagnosed with a learning disability. And many years later while I was doing vision therapy with my doctor, he told me that my learning problem was due to the fact that my two eyes didn’t work together and I had a condition called convergence insufficiency. And after going through his vision therapy program my learning problem completely dissolved.
The American Optometric Association says about 80% of what we learn in school comes through our eyes. Wow. And yet most visual screenings completely miss vision problems. This happens because the standard screen tests is simply reading the distance acuity chart and determining if we have 20/20 vision. This is measuring our eyesight, not vision. Eyesight is a static measurement and its just one component of vision.
Vision, on the other hand, is a dynamic measurement and is how our eyes, brain, and body work together. Our visual system begins developing in utero – this is why our gestation period, our birthing process, and our bonding process affects our sensory-motor development – including our visual system.
So in working with patients, I ask very extensive questions about their developmental history, because if there were interferences with sensory development as a child, this can impact their vision and learning ability. This is really important.
There’s also a process called vision therapy, which is a retraining or reprogramming on how the eyes, brain, and body work together. It is profound and changes lives. And it’s actually pretty easy to do.
And of course, there is certainly an impact on a child’s biochemistry on their sensory development. So our diets certainly influence our vision and sensory development.
So there’s no question that there are options for many with reading or learning disabilities. There’s no cookie-cutter solution, but by understanding the developmental history, and combining dietary improvements with vision therapy, we can begin to support and reprogram visual development, even in old age.
So that’s my message for today. I want to thank you so much for tuning in. And until next time take good care.