SUMMER VISION CHECK UP

Summer is finally here. As your family calendar becomes full of summer events and you start to schedule those Back to School appointments for your child’s upcoming school year, are you sure you haven’t forgotten something important?

What about your child’s eyes? Vision problems can affect more than just seeing the board or reading a book.

Research has shown that vision problems can: 1. interfere with academic performance 2. slow down overall development 3. cause a short attention span 4. make reading difficult 5. result in lowered self-esteem

It’s usually pretty easy to tell when your child has difficulty seeing things in the distance (such as the board in school), but most parents don’t know what to look for to determine when a child has difficulty seeing the words in a book. There are so many potential explanations for why a child struggles with reading that parents often lose sight of the obvious.

Many parents mistakenly assume that the vision screenings are the same as a complete eye examination, and incorrectly assume that their child’s vision is fine when they pass the screening.

According to the American Optometric Association, approximately one out of four children struggle with reading and learning because of undiagnosed vision problems; and three out of five children with learning disabilities have undiagnosed vision problems.

“Whether your child is a bright underachiever, struggles with reading or has developmental delays, the good news is the majority of vision problems that impede learning can be corrected – once they are detected,” shared Dr. Thomas Unger, an optometrist with an office in Troy.

Please take a moment to review the signs that indicate vision may be playing a role in their child’s difficulties:

• headaches when reading • slow or incomplete copy work from board or paper • avoidance of reading • poor reading comprehension • frequent loss of place while reading • complains words move on the page • short attention span • smart in everything but school • labeled ADD, ADHD, dyslexic • working below potential

Any one of the above symptoms is a sign that you need to schedule a vision exam with a developmental optometrist.

For more information on the critical link between vision and learning, Dr. Unger can be contacted at (618) 655-EYES (3937) or visit the web site at readingandvision.com.

From STRUGGLING...To SUCCESS!

1 out of 4 children struggle with reading and learning because of undiagnosed vision problems.

Does Your Child...

• Dislike reading? • Skip or reread lines? • Prefer to be read to? • Lose place when reading? • Have trouble remembering what has been read? • Have difficulty paying attention? ADD/ADHD? • Make numbers/letter reversals? • Have reading /homework take longer than it should?

ELIMINATE DOUBT! If your child has any of the above symptoms, he or she may have a 100% correctable vision-based learning problem. Children who once struggled go from failure to success when these vision problems are treated. Call us today to schedule a Developmental Vision Evaluation. Thomas K. Unger, O.D. • Alice E. Unger, O.D.

Two Locations

534 Edwardsville Rd. • Troy, IL

(618) 667-2020

449 S. State Route 157, • Edwardsville, IL

(618) 655-EYES (3937)