My heart sank as I watched my ten-year-old son struggle to complete his homework. He was having trouble interpreting the information he was reading, and it was clear that he was getting frustrated. I wasn’t entirely sure if his problem was his ability to see, or the ability to understand, but I knew something was wrong. My husband and I both have perfect vision, so unless there was some throwback genetics that was passed onto my son, I really could not figure out what was wrong. All I did know was that it was so hard watching my son struggle and lack confidence in himself.
I started doing some research on my son’s symptoms. Unfortunately, this proved to be quite unhelpful. I decided instead to book an appointment with the most recommended optometrist near me. Cheltenham has many optometrists, but I knew we needed someone who was a specialist in behavioural optometry. Luckily, we were able to find one who had availability.
During the initial examination, the optometrist asked my son a series of questions and performed several tests to evaluate his visual processing and perception skills. Apparently he was able to determine what was wrong within a matter of minutes.
The optometrist explained to me that some children experience difficulties with visual perception, and this can affect their ability to interpret information accurately. My son’s eyesight was fine, but his brain was having trouble processing what he was seeing. This was why he was having trouble with his homework.
The behavioural optometrist recommended a series of vision therapy sessions that would help my son’s brain learn to process information more efficiently. The sessions would include a combination of exercises and activities that would help my son’s brain learn to interpret visual information correctly.
Initially, my son was hesitant about the therapy sessions, but the optometrist was patient and made the sessions fun. Over time, my son’s confidence began to grow, and he started to make progress. It was incredible to see how much his perception skills improved with each session.