Dear Abby: Please help me get the word out
about a common condition that severely affects children's ability to succeed in
school because it inhibits reading, spelling and concentration.
My
daughter, who was obviously bright, tested at first-grade reading level in fifth
grade. She had undergone all the school testing for learning disabilities, plus
two days of testing at a respected university hospital. None of these tests or
specialists revealed what could be wrong with her.
My child's
self-esteem suffered. Her confidence faltered; she began acting out in school.
At home she was a great kid, until it came time for schoolwork. Then the battles
began. She thought she was dumb. When studying, she could read for only a very
short time. She often begged me to read things to her. When working on spelling
and assigned to rewrite the words she missed five times, she often recopied them
wrong. We thought she just wasn't trying.
After much research on the
Internet, I came across a disorder called "convergence insufficiency disorder."
This visual condition is the leading cause of eyestrain. Fortunately, we had the
opportunity to have her tested at the Mayo Clinic, where her condition was
confirmed, and she was successfully treated with vision therapy.
It was
as though a miracle had occurred. After six months of treatment, my daughter is
almost at her age-appropriate reading level. Her comprehension and retention
have markedly increased, and her self-esteem and attitude about reading are much
better.
Children with this condition will not benefit from tutoring,
special education or extra help from teachers until the condition is diagnosed
and treated. My child had 20/20 vision and still had this disorder. It's not
routinely checked with eye exams, and schools don't test for it.
I
suspect that many children out there are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed and going
untreated. The treatment for convergence insufficiency disorder is noninvasive,
effective, and much of it can be done at home. Please help me get the word out
so other families won't have to go through what we experienced. — Angie W.
in Minnesota
Dear Angie: I am pleased to help you get the word out to other
families whose children are struggling to learn. After reading your letter, I
contacted my experts at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and was informed
that this problem, where the eyes drift too much inward (or outward) in
attempting to focus, can also be present in adults.
The symptoms can
include eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision, sleepiness and trouble retaining
information when reading. Other symptoms associated with convergence
insufficiency include a "pulling" sensation around the eyes, the rubbing or
closing of one eye when reading, words seeming to "jump" or "float" across the
page, needing to reread the same line of words, frequent loss of place, general
inability to concentrate and short attention span.
The good news is:
Vision exercises can fix the problem in most cases, some done at home and some
performed in-office with a vision therapist. Prism glasses are another option;
however, they are more often prescribed for adults with this disorder than for
children.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips,
and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box
69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. © Universal Press Syndicate
