When you hear your child has 20/20 vision, you probably assume their eyes are good to go for school. But reading is a complex job that asks for more than just the ability to see letters clearly on a chart. It requires a whole team of essential visual skills to work together so the eyes and brain can communicate smoothly.
Vision therapy helps children read better by training the eyes and brain to work together more efficiently. Through guided activities, it can strengthen skills like eye tracking, focusing, and teaming—abilities that allow the eyes to move smoothly across a page and stay locked on the words. When these visual skills improve, kids can take in the text more clearly, process it faster, and understand what they’re reading with less effort and frustration.
Why Reading Takes More Than 20/20 Vision
To read well, kids’ eyes need to move smoothly across a page, stay focused on each word, and send clear signals to the brain. If any of these skills lag, reading can feel like a chore instead of a joy—often leading kids to avoid books or struggle with homework. Knowing the key visual milestones can help parents spot when it’s time to get support.
A comprehensive children’s eye exam is the first step toward understanding the full picture of your child’s visual health. We look beyond the vision chart to assess all the skills needed for learning. This detailed approach helps us see how your child’s visual system is truly working.
Spot the Signs of a Vision-Related Challenge with Schoolwork
Children often can’t tell you they have a vision problem because they assume everyone sees the world the same way they do. As a parent, you are in a great position to watch for behaviours that might point to an underlying visual challenge. These signs can be subtle and easy to mistake for a lack of interest or a learning difficulty.
You can look for these common signs when your child is reading or doing schoolwork:
- Loses their place on the page or needs to use a finger to track words
- Skips words, rereads lines, or confuses similar-looking words
- Complains of headaches, eye strain, or says their eyes feel tired
- Avoids reading, homework, and other close-up tasks
- Reverses letters like ‘b’ and ‘d’ past the age of seven or eight
- Tilts their head or covers one eye to see better, which can be a sign of conditions like amblyopia (lazy eye) or convergence insufficiency.
An Introduction to Vision Therapy
What Is Vision Therapy?
You can think of vision therapy as physical therapy for the entire visual system—the eyes and the parts of the brain that control vision. This specialized program of exercises improves how the eyes and brain communicate. We use tools like therapeutic lenses, prisms, and filters to help develop visual skills.
This process is about more than just making eye muscles stronger. It focuses on retraining the brain’s ability to control eye movements, focusing, and eye teaming. The goal is to help the visual system work more efficiently and accurately.
How We Create a Custom Plan
Every child’s journey begins with a thorough assessment to identify which specific visual skills need support. We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all program. Your child’s plan for vision therapy in Burlington is completely personalized to their unique needs and goals.
A typical program includes a mix of in-office sessions with our team and a set of activities to practice at home. We schedule regular progress checks to monitor development and adjust the plan as your child’s skills grow. We are here to support your family every step of the way.
Key Vision Skills Vision Therapy Can Help Develop
Eye Track & Team
For smooth reading, both eyes must work together as a synchronized team and move accurately across a line of text. Here’s what’s important to understand: most children with eye teaming issues have had regular eye exams and been told their eyes are “perfect.” Because they have 20/20 vision, parents are often reassured that their child’s eyes aren’t the cause of reading struggles.
But 20/20 vision only measures how clearly your child sees at a distance—it doesn’t evaluate how well their eyes work together. When eyes don’t track or team up correctly, your child might lose their place, skip words, or have trouble with comprehension. Vision therapy uses specific exercises to help train the eyes to move and work together as a team.
Focus & Shift
A child’s eyes need to hold clear focus on words for extended periods of reading. They also need to shift focus quickly and effortlessly—for example, from their textbook to the board at the front of the classroom. Activities in vision therapy can help improve this focusing flexibility and stamina, which is also crucial for preventing digital eye strain in our modern learning environments.
Visual Process & Memory
Reading isn’t just about seeing words—it’s also about the brain’s ability to process and remember what is seen. Vision therapy can help support skills like visual memory, which allows a child to recall what they just read, and processing speed. This helps your child not only read the words but also understand and remember the story.
The First Step: A Comprehensive Eye Exam
If you think your child might have a vision problem that affects their learning, a comprehensive eye exam is the best place to start. This assessment goes far beyond a basic sight screening you might get at school. We evaluate eye teaming, focusing, tracking, and overall eye health to get a complete picture of your child’s vision.
This detailed evaluation helps us determine if a vision problem is present and if vision therapy could be a suitable option. It also allows us to look for any signs of eye disease that may be impacting your child’s ability to see.
A Partnership for Your Family’s Vision
At Dr. Patricia Fink Optometry, we’re here to support your whole family’s eye health—whether that means helping a child strengthen reading skills through vision therapy, managing myopia, easing digital eye strain, or finding the right contact lenses.
We’ve spent decades helping Burlington families protect their sight and feel confident about their vision care. Book a vision therapy assessment today to start your child’s journey toward clearer, more comfortable reading—and give your family the personalized care they deserve.
