This information was prepared to help teachers and consultants identify children's visual problems that could interfere with learning and classroom performance. Nearly all the visual problems that deter children from doing well in the classroom will NOT be uncovered by the Snellen eye chart, nor by most stereoscopic devices. The value of these school screening devices is to identify those children who cannot see clearly. It is the ability to visualize, understand and apply the information that comes through the eyes. Therefore, learning problems are often related to vision problems.
Teachers are the best screeners.
They observe the child functioning in the classroom. While our eyes are supposed to work as a team so that they perform as one, this teaming is not guaranteed by design. It must be acquired through use during the preschool years and not all children adequately develop this skill. It can interfere with learning, especially in the areas of comprehension and spatial relations. Paper work shows poor orientation on the page and the child is unable to stay within the lines when coloring.