When a child under performs due to one or more vision-related deficiencies, they have a vision-related learning problem. These problems often get misdiagnosed as ADHD, behavior problems, and/or reading disabilities. This happened with our youngest son. Fortunately, a three-month eye therapy program corrected these deficiencies.
The following points teach about common vision-related learning problems. They also help illustrate some of the common reasons for vision problems in our spiritual lives.
Convergence Insufficiency
Convergence Insufficiency involves eye-teaming skills or the ability to coordinate both eyes together. Symptoms include eye strain, fatigue, poor attention, and reading avoidance because of words overlapping and causing double vision. Many kids with this problem don’t know what they are seeing isn’t normal, so they say nothing about the problem.
“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” (James 1:8)
Just like convergence insufficiency leads to struggles with confidence in reading, spiritual double-vision leads to avoidance of obeying God’s will. Like waves of the ocean, a double-minded man is unpredictable and even destructive.
Accommodative Dysfunction
Eye focusing skills, such as the ability for sustained reading and shifting focus from near to far, fail to function properly with accommodative dysfunction. Symptoms include miscalling easy words, headaches, tiring easily, and poor attention and concentration when reading. Accommodative dysfunction results in the inability to focus and results in blurred vision.
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.” (Psalm 1)
The Old Testament gives numerous examples of what happens when focus moves off God. As Psalm 1 indicates, this often happens because of who we spend time with regularly. Blurred vision in our spiritual lives leads to fatigue at every level, inability to hear God, and failure to focus when do hear Him.
Oculomotor Dysfunction
Oculomotor dysfunction involves eye tracking skills, which involve the ability to point eyes to printed material and then move them from word to word. Symptoms include losing one’s place easily, needing a finger to keep one’s place when reading, slow reading, poor fluency and comprehension, inability to pay attention, and difficulty copying words. With this dysfunction, words appear to jump around on the page.
“Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:36)
We don’t know the day or the hour of Christ’s return. Failure to be alert results in wandering outside of God’s will, inability to pay attention when God speaks, and struggle following the example set for us. We jump around in life without focus or purpose as we overlook the work God gives us.
Vision-related learning problems affect more than just reading. They compromised my son’s ability to properly socialize, to keep focused in and out of school, and to enjoy much of life in general. Vision-related spiritual problems impact our spiritual lives in similar ways by negatively affecting relationships, stealing focus, and robbing joy.
My son needed vision therapy to correct his vision-related learning problems. Vision-related spiritual problems require vision therapy too, and that requires knowing the Essential Elements of Vision Therapy.
Mark Allman
Kari,
I can look behind me and see the consequences of my actions clearly but I have a problem looking forward and seeing clearly whats going to happen when I take certain actions. It is not that I can not see clearly but I let things fog up my vision looking forward until it is too late and I am running into the consequences and wondering how did that happen. Then I am like well duh….
Kari Scare
I get what you're saying for sure. Seems like we can recognize our lessons from the past but struggle applying them to the future and preventing similar mistakes. Also, seems like we easily let life get away from us instead of intentionally keeping short accounts and diligently implementing a preventative maintenance program.
tnealtarver
I didn't know I was nearsighted until 6th grade when my science teacher noted I had difficulty seeing the blackboard and suggested I have my eyes examined (as opposed to my head). After I put on my 1st pair of glasses, I looked down the street from our house and saw distant trees clearly. Anyone who has his/her vision corrected usually notes seeing leaves on trees or individual blades of grass. For the seeing impaired, we don't know we have bad vision. We think blurry is normal.
I note this because people who don't know Christ live blurry lives but they think it's normal. I need to remember to treat lost souls with greater grace, after all, I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now see–and that thanks to the grace and mercy of God.
Kari, you did a marvelous job of taking the eye/vision analogy and connecting it with sound spiritual truth.
Kari Scare
Thanks! I remember the times I got new glasses and could see the details of leave and trees so clearly. Great analogy with the unsaved too. Love that application. It occurs to me that many Christians are still living blurry lives as well in that they are saved, but they fail to see beyond that to the unending blessing that the gospel has for all believers. Great points. Thanks for providing more clarity.
Mark Allman
I remember the first time I got glasses and went to a basketball game and look at the score board and was amazed at all the information it had. I turned to my girl friend who is now my wife and asked her "have you always been able to see that! ?. Of course was her reply. I'm like wow.
Kari Scare
Clear vision definitely gives us a whole new view of the world.
Loren Pinilis
We've suspected that my four-year old is having some vision problems, so I've been learning a lot about this lately. Convergence insufficiency seems to be a very common problem – especially nowadays with handheld video games. The docs said just to keep an eye on him but hopefully he'll be OK. What symptoms did you notice for your son?
Kari Scare
He was behind a couple of grade levels in reading, improving but still resisting, comprehension was very low, attention span was terrible, attitude problems during reading and homework time and flipping his b's and d's were the ones I initially noticed. He came to us behind, so I thought it was just because of his poor upbringing to that point. After two years, I just felt like I was missing something, so his teacher suggested checking this out. Her sister apprently had similar problems and had gotten help through vision therapy. So, I went on the web site to our closest therapist (an hour from our home), and the symptoms listed there seemed post on. I started questioning my son and discovered there were more symptoms he had but just hadn't said anything as he thought it was normal. I didn't even know eye therapy existed, but I know make sure others know about it. Hope this helps!
WSM
Ahhh…I see.
Essential Elements of Vision Therapy -
[…] wrong focus, and absence of alertness that plague our spiritual lives. After asking the question, Do you Need Vision Therapy, proceed to implementing the necessary […]