Many people don’t realize that vision is a learned skill and children learn to use their eyes just as they learn to use fingers, feet and other parts of their body. While eyesight is the ability to see an object clearly, vision is the ability to understand and apply the information that comes through the eyes. A child can have 20/20 eyesight and still have vision problems such as trouble tracking an object or moving their eyes smoothly, difficulty changing focus, inability to maintain focus, and/or failure to capture and use visual information.

According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), about ten million children under the age of twelve in the United States have vision problems that make it hard for them to cope with the expectations at home and school. The V. I. P. finds forty one percent of screened students had vision issues; with a full 15 percent suffering severe challenges.  Research conducted over the past 40 years and VIP data support that vision challenges directly impact reading skills.


Check out some of the research that has been done in the area of functional vision.

Kansas Study

OEP Summary of research regarding vision therapy

Policy Statement by A.O.A and A.A.O. regarding vision and learning