Yet another case of a child with ‘learning disabilities’ who has struggled for years, now discovering she’s a high aniso/amblyope. Here’s a novel idea: Child vision standards. The standard approach described below is comprehensive and covers many aspects of society…
Category: Advocacy
Visual Disabilities and Impairment: Mostly Refractive, Mostly Preventable
In an earlier post, I had outlined fundamental principles of hyperopia (farsightedness) as a physical disability. Likewise, astigmatism is a frequently un-diagnosed and untreated visual impediment that contributes to child health, behaviour, development, and learning concerns. The impact of nearsightedness…
Challenging the So-Called 20/20/20 Rule
Happy to be able to contribute to this latest edition of the Canadian Journal of Optometry. “The ‘20/20/20 Rule’ – When Good Intentions and Axiomatic Habit Displace Best Practices” https://opto.ca/document/cjo-volume-78-issue-4 https://opto.ca/sites/default/files/resources/documents/cjo_w16_lores.pdf
What can we do about child vision?
Every week brings in new children to my clinic; children who have hit a dead end with family doctors and paediatricians, as well as with the schools. I run a child vision development clinic, and we see children with apparent…
On the Pursuit of Visual Happiness
On the radio, A FATHER GIVES HIS MILLENNIAL SON ADVICE ON WHAT’S IMPORTANT IN LIFE: “If school is making you miserable, the quit. Do what makes you happy, you only live one life.” We are comforted by the idea that…
AAP Vision Screening Recommendations
Less Than Meets the Eye: When ‘Expert’ Advice is False Economy Pediatricians receive only cursory training in assessing children’s visual function, and only minimal exposure to ophthalmic disease. This is reflected in the visual screening recommendations by The American Academy…
Vision Blindness Part 3 – What we won’t see.
(See Part 2 here.) In the Preface to this series, I mentioned how I’ve been personally attacked for my advocacy for better (any) standards for children’s vision needs. No, I don’t have a saviour complex, and would much prefer to…
Vision Blindness Part 2 – What we don’t see.
What We Don’t See Affects How Things Appear (See Part 1 here.) Sharry came in with her daughter Sam, a socially awkward but friendly and intelligent 9 year-old, who is struggling in Gr 4. “The pediatrician said her eyes were…
Vision Blindness Part 1 – What we can’t see.
(See the Introduction here.) For many years, researchers have asked, ‘Why is it that nearsighted children seem to fare better in academics than farsighted children?’ Some have even gone so far as to suggest myopic IQ’s are higher than hyperopic…
Vision Blindness – Introduction
(See the Preface here.) There are many uses of the word ‘blind’. The concept is so broadly understood, and feared, that many languages have adopted the term to other common uses. When someone does not appreciate the gravity of a…