| Eye
teaming – why is it so important?
Our eyes are designed to work as a team,
but initially, each eye functions independently.
Convergence Insufficiency, Convergence Excess
and other eye teaming problems result in
double vision, which a child may notice
as ‘blurry vision’, or may not
notice at all. Children with eye teaming
problems can be highly distractible, finding
it difficult to concentrate and remain on
task when the strain on their eyes is so
great.
When we look at something, both the right
and left eyes record an individual image.
The two separate images are then transmitted
through the optic nerves to the brain, which
combines them into a single picture.
For the visual system to work correctly,
each eye must aim at the exact same point
in space so that the images being recorded
are identical. This allows the brain
to combine, or ‘fuse’, the two
incoming images for clear, comfortable single
vision. If the eyes aren't aiming together,
then the images being recorded are slightly
different. If the disparity is great
enough, the brain can't combine the two
pictures.
Tracking
Tracking skills, or the ability to control
the fine eye movements required to follow
a line of print, are especially important
in reading. Children with tracking problems
will often lose their place, skip or transpose
words, and have difficulty with comprehension
because of inaccurate eye movements.
Focusing
Our focusing system, technically called
accommodation, allows us to see clearly,
especially for near tasks. At the close
ranges required for reading, this is the
visual skill needed to maintain clear sharp
images for extended periods of time. For
children with accommodation problems, print
will become progressively blurry as they
read for longer periods of time, and their
eyes will fatigue from the strain of trying
to keep the print clear. Sometimes children
with focusing problems will hold their books
very closely or lay their heads down. Headaches
are very common.
- What are some of the signs
and symptoms of poor eye teaming? Click
here to read more
- Click here
to return to our Children's
Vision page
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