Vision is more than just the ability to see clearly, it is the ability to understand and respond to what is seen. Basic visual skills include the ability to focus the eyes, use both eyes as a team, track objects and scan across a written page. More extensive perceptual skills include the ability to tell the difference between 'b' and 'd', the ability to perceive a single tree from the rest of a forest, and the ability to 'picture' in our mind what we see, as in the task of spelling.

Vision is learnt. Just as a young child must learn to walk, and talk, he must also learn to use his visual system properly and efficiently. Vision is our dominant sense and it provides the brain with 80% of what it knows. Two thirds of all the electrical activity in the brain is devoted to vision when our eyes are open. A child learns to use his visual system by moving around in his environment. He learns to make judgements of time and distance through observing his environment and moving within it. He learns that an object is the same whichever way it is seen, and he learns what he needs to pay attention to, and what to ignore. Good vision skill development in the early years of a child's life provide the foundation for the child to learn more formally in a school environment.

We have two vision pathways from our eyes to the vision centres in the brain. One is a peripheral system, which alerts us to what is going on around us, and is sensitive to movement, and tell us where we are in relation to our environment. The other system is a central system, and is more attuned to detail and colour. It tells us what things are. When we are born, only one system is functioning well- the peripheral system, and even a very new baby will pay attention to light and movement. The central system does not start to develop until we are at least 6 months old. The task of the developing child is to learn to integrate both these systems. Without this integration, the child cannot function efficiently in any area of its life. The visual system relates to motor, thinking, speech and perceptual abilities, and all these areas may be affected when the visual processing system is not working well.

Motor control, emotions, and cognition develop over time; the same is true for visual skills. There is an orderly unfolding of visual anatomy, physiology and the ability to perceive. Different visual skills are explored, acquired, and refined at different ages. Vision development does not cease at a given age, but continues throughout life.
Proper development takes place where there is adequate and appropriate interaction with the environment. When the correct developmental framework is provided, vision truly becomes an individual's dominant and leading sense.
Visual testing can be done at any age, and should begin as early as possible (by six months).

Generally, those who exhibit the following symptoms may need to be tested:

• Avoidance of close work
• Blurred or double vision
• Closing or covering one eye
• Difficulty in remembering and comprehending what is read
• Eye-hand coordination problems in sports or at job-related tasks, hand writing or general clumsiness
• Frowning or squinting while reading, writing, or working on the blackboard
• Headaches, nausea, or dizziness unrelated to known illness
• Holding head close to the book when reading, or close to the table when writing
• Inability to finish timed tasks at any grade level

If you suspect you have a vision problem, the first step is to get an appointment for a comprehensive visual examination to evaluate the basic visual skills necessary for good visual performance. Further testing may be done to evaluate specific areas necessary for efficient academic performance. Upon completion of a thorough evaluation, we will determine what your visual needs are. If necessary, an individualized program of lenses, visual hygiene and/or vision therapy will be developed to meet your specific needs and goals.

• Myopia (Shortsightedness)
  Myopia is a vision problem that makes it difficult to see far away without glasses or contact lenses. The popular term used to describe this condition is shortsightedness.

• Hyperopia (Longsightedness)
  A person with Hyperopia focuses the image behind rather than on the retina, and then has to use their close focusing system (used for tasks such as reading) to achieve clear vision in the distance. The person is likely to see better in the distance than close up.

• Astigmatism
  Astigmatism is an uneven focus on the retina, meaning that a person sees only parts of an image clearly.

• Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)
  Amblyopia is a condition in which the visual acuity in one eye is significantly less than the other, even though the eyes are healthy and the best pair of glasses are being worn. People with lazy eyes generally show poor focusing ability, poor spatial accuracy and flexibility as well as poor spatial judgement.

• General Binocular Dysfunction
  When the two eyes fail to work together as a team, eye strain and fatigue can occur. If left untreated, reduced comprehension or avoidance of reading commonly occur.

• Visual Perceptual Dysfunction
  This occurs when eye-hand coordination, visual memory, reversals, and other visual perceptual areas are deficient or undeveloped. This results in decreased efficiency in the development of learning skills.

• Inappropriate Visual Development
  When the visual skills of infants are not developing appropriately, strabismus and other visual conditions may occur. If treated immediately the prognosis is excellent.

Referrals can be initiated by optometrists, educators, psychologists, occupational therapists, physicians or the patients themselves.