Some mothers and teachers may think their child/student has ADHA but in reality they may be suffering from vision problems. Dr. Bernstein, founder of Bernstein Center for Visual Performance has looked into this problem and was able to help children with Vision Therapy. Read below an article by Lohud.com:
If you’re worried that your child’s struggles at school may indicate an attention-deficit problem, don’t jump to conclusions just yet, says Dr. Paul Bernstein, a developmental optometrist in White Plains.
Many children diagnosed with ADHD actually have a visual impediment to learning, he says.
“Most eye doctors — or those who are not developmental vision care specialists — check eyesight, but they don’t check the mechanics that go into that eyesight, and they certainly don’t check the cognitive visual processing piece,” says Bernstein, founder of the Bernstein Center for Visual Performance.
Convergence insufficiency — a problem that requires extra concentration for the eyes to work in sync — is known to cause learning difficulties in children. Eye focusing and tracking issues can also lead to struggles in school.
Kids and teens with visual processing problems often remember what they hear in the classroom, but not what they read, says Bernstein. Children who are not “visual processors” can also be disorganized and may have trouble with certain team sports, he says.
At his office, Bernstein does a test that runs about two hours, looking for key visual skills that are required to process information. “The deficiencies in these areas are testable, diagnosable and treatable,” he says.
If he finds a child would benefit from vision therapy — a type of physical therapy for the eyes and brain — sessions can last from three to six months.