Most parents are familiar with the concept of "20/20 vision" and understand it to mean perfect eyesight. But did you know that eyesight and vision are actually two different things? While eyesight is about seeing clearly, vision involves understanding and using what we see effectively. For children, especially those struggling in school, this distinction is crucial.
In this blog, we’ll explore the difference between eyesight and vision, why both are important, and how understanding this difference can help you better support your child’s learning journey.
What Is Eyesight?
Eyesight is what most people think of when they hear the term "vision." It refers to the physical ability to see something clearly, including sharpness, focus, and the ability to discern fine details. Eyesight is typically measured using a Snellen Eye Chart—the familiar chart with rows of letters that get progressively smaller. A person with 20/20 eyesight can see at 20 feet what a person with normal vision sees at a distance of 20 feet.
How Eyesight Is Tested: Eyesight is tested under specific conditions—usually in a quiet environment, with the person stationary, focusing on a static target. The goal is to determine how clearly an individual can see from a distance.
20/20 Is Not Enough: Many children pass their vision screening with 20/20 eyesight and are told that their vision is "normal." But this test only measures distance clarity while both the person and the target are still. It doesn’t assess how well a child’s eyes work at reading distance or how well they function during activities that require focus and movement.
While eyesight is important for seeing details, it doesn’t tell the full story about how well a child can use their visual system to learn and interact with their environment.
What Is Vision?
Vision goes far beyond just seeing clearly. It involves the brain’s ability to interpret and use the information that the eyes collect. Vision is about making sense of what we see, choosing which details are important, and using that information to guide actions. In other words, vision is a learned process—and it’s directly linked to a child's learning and development.
Key Aspects of Vision:
1. Selecting Information: Vision helps us decide what to focus on. In a classroom, this means ignoring visual distractions and focusing on the blackboard or the teacher.
2. Coordinating the information entering each eye: For the best possible results, both eyes need to aim at the same visual targets, track at the same pace, focus in the same place, and fuse the targets into a single image.
3. Processing and Understanding: The visual system works closely with other senses to understand information. For example, a child reading a sentence is not just seeing words; they’re understanding meaning, connecting words, and predicting what comes next.
4. Planning and Using Information: Once the brain processes visual input, it needs to plan how to use it. This could be copying notes from the board, kicking a ball, or solving a puzzle.
With vision, it’s not just about what we see; it’s about how we use that information. A child might have perfect eyesight, but if they struggle with using their vision effectively, they might find it hard to keep up in class, learn to read, or stay engaged with schoolwork.
Vision Is Learned: The Journey from Infancy to Childhood
Unlike eyesight, which is largely developed by six months of age, vision is learned over time. Babies are not born with fully developed vision. Instead, they learn to use their eyes through trial and error, exploring their world, and meeting key developmental milestones.
Milestones and Visual Skills: As babies grow, certain reflexes and movements help their brains develop visual skills. For example, creeping and crawling help improve eye teaming, which is crucial for activities like reading and tracking words on a page.
Trial and Error: Children learn to use their visual system through exploration. Activities like stacking blocks, crossing the midline, or learning to navigate a new environment all help to refine their visual skills.
Without the opportunity to develop these skills, a child might struggle with vision, even if they have perfect eyesight. This can lead to learning barriers and difficulties in the classroom.
How Vision Problems Affect Learning
Many parents are surprised to learn that vision problems are common, especially among children who struggle in school. In fact, one in five children in the general population has vision problems that interfere with learning, and these problems are even more common among children with other learning challenges.
If vision problems are not addressed, they can impact a child's ability to focus, process information, and keep up with school tasks. Here are some common ways vision issues can affect learning:
Difficulty Focusing at Near Distances: A child may struggle with focusing on reading material or written work, leading to fatigue and frustration.
Eye Tracking Issues: Problems with tracking can make it difficult to keep one's place when reading, resulting in skipping lines or losing track.
Eye Teaming Issues: If the two eyes don’t work together properly, it can lead to double vision or difficulty judging distances, making tasks like reading or catching a ball very challenging.
These kinds of vision issues are often invisible. Children might not report their struggles because they assume that what they’re experiencing is normal. Instead, they might develop coping
mechanisms like avoiding close work, being the "class clown," or working through discomfort and strain—often resulting in tears and frustration during homework time.
How Understanding Vision Can Help Your Child
If your child struggles in school, it’s essential to understand the difference between eyesight and vision. A child might pass an eyesight screening with flying colors but still have vision problems that impact their ability to learn. By understanding this distinction, you can take proactive steps to support your child.
Look for Signs: If your child frequently rubs their eyes, loses their place when reading, or avoids close work, they might have a vision problem that’s impacting their learning.
Functional Visual Skills Evaluation with a Developmental or Neurocognitive Optometrist: Unlike a standard eyesight test, this evaluation looks at how the eyes work together, how well the child can focus at different distances, and how their visual system supports learning. This type of exam can help uncover issues that a basic vision screening might miss.
Therapeutic Lenses: Often, the vision problems can be relieved with a set of therapeutic lenses that better recalibrate any misalignments that occur between the eyes and real space.
Vision Therapy: If your child has been diagnosed with a functional vision problem, Vision Therapy can be an effective solution. Vision Therapy helps train the visual parts of the brain to work more efficiently, making visual tasks like reading and writing easier and more automatic.
Moving Forward: Supporting Your Child's Vision and Learning
Understanding the difference between eyesight and vision is key to supporting your child’s learning journey. While eyesight is important, it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Vision involves the whole process of using, interpreting, and understanding what we see, and it’s directly tied to learning and development.
If your child is struggling with focus, reading, or other school-related tasks, consider having their vision evaluated by a Developmental or Neurocognitive Optometrist. At Arizona Vision Therapy Center, we specialize in identifying and treating functional vision problems that impact learning. Our goal is to help children develop the visual skills they need for a successful school experience.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call us at 520-886-8800 or email us at visiontherapy@live.com
By Amy Thomas, OD, FCOVD – Developmental/Neurocognitive Optometrist
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