Vision Assessments: Understanding the Importance of a Developmental Eye Exam 

Your child’s success in school depends on more than just clear eyesight. While many parents rely on basic vision screenings or standard eye exams, developmental optometrist Dr. Rick Graebe, FCOVD, at Neuro-Visual Performance Institute understands that comprehensive vision care requires a deeper approach.

With offices in Versailles and Somerset, Dr. Graebe serves families throughout Central and Southern Kentucky, including Lexington, Frankfort, Danville, and surrounding communities. His 35+ years of specialized experience in neuro-behavioral optometry has helped countless children overcome visual challenges that impact their learning and development.

The Three Levels of Vision Care:

1. School Vision Screenings – While school screenings can catch obvious vision problems, they miss up to 75% of vision-related learning issues. These basic tests typically only check distance vision, leaving many critical visual skills unevaluated.
2. Routine Eye Exams – Standard eye exams provide important health checks and assess basic vision clarity. However, they may not detect subtle visual processing or eye coordination problems that affect learning.
3. Developmental Vision Assessments – At Neuro-Visual Performance Institute, our in-depth evaluations examine all aspects of visual function essential for academic success, including:
   • Visual tracking and eye movements
   • Focus flexibility and endurance
   • Eye teaming and coordination
   • Visual processing speed
   • Visual-motor integration

The Visual Foundation of Learning: Understanding Your Child’s Complete Vision Needs

Vision shapes every aspect of a child’s learning journey, extending far beyond the simple ability to see clearly. While many parents understand the importance of good eyesight, fewer realize that vision encompasses a complex network of skills essential for academic success. At the Neuro-Visual Performance Institute, Dr. Graebe and our team specialize in understanding and developing these crucial visual abilities that support learning, engagement, and achievement in school.

The Complexity of Vision in Learning

Beyond Basic Vision Screenings and Routine Eye Exams

While school vision screenings and routine eye exams play important roles in detecting basic vision problems, they often miss critical aspects of visual function that impact learning. Studies indicate that up to 75% of children with vision-related learning challenges pass standard vision screenings. These traditional assessments typically focus on:

• Basic visual acuity (“20/20” vision)
• Simple distance vision checks
• General eye health evaluation

However, they may overlook:

• Visual processing efficiency
• Eye tracking and movement control
• Focus flexibility and endurance
• Visual-motor integration
• Depth perception and spatial awareness

Common Vision Problems Identified in a Developmental Eye Exam

A developmental eye exam goes beyond assessing visual acuity and eye health to uncover less obvious issues that can significantly impact a child’s learning and everyday activities. These exams focus on the visual skills required for success in the classroom and other close-up tasks, identifying problems that may not be detected in a standard eye exam or school vision screening. Some of the most common vision problems identified in a developmental eye exam include:

• Tracking difficulties: Trouble following a line of text smoothly, often causing a child to lose their place while reading.
• Convergence insufficiency: Difficulty keeping the eyes aligned when focusing on close objects, leading to double vision or eye strain.
• Binocular vision dysfunction: Poor coordination between the two eyes, affecting depth perception and the ability to see a single clear image.
• Focusing issues: Challenges with maintaining focus on a close task or quickly shifting focus between near and far objects, such as between a textbook and a whiteboard.
• Amblyopia (lazy eye): Reduced vision in one eye due to the brain favoring the other, even if the weaker eye looks healthy.
• Visual processing delays: Slower or less accurate interpretation of visual information by the brain, affecting comprehension and response times.
• Visual-motor integration problems: Difficulty coordinating eye movements with hand movements, impacting tasks like writing, drawing, or catching a ball.

Visual Skills and Learning: Understanding the Connection

Dr. Graebe, a pediatric vision specialist, emphasizes that vision is a learned skill that develops alongside other crucial abilities. At Neuro-Visual Performance Institute, we understand how the Eyes, Brain, Body, and Mind work together to support learning and development.

What Sets Our Developmental Vision Assessments Apart

Our comprehensive evaluations go far beyond the basic “20/20” vision test. Using advanced diagnostic tools at our Versailles and Somerset locations, Dr. Graebe assesses:

Signs Your Child May Need a Developmental Vision Assessment

Recognizing the signs of a vision problem can be challenging, as children often adapt to their visual difficulties and may not realize that their experience isn’t typical. Parents and teachers in the Lexington area and Central Kentucky should be aware of behaviors or complaints that suggest the need for a developmental vision assessment. Early identification can prevent these issues from hindering a child’s learning, confidence, and overall development.

Here are key signs to watch for:

• Avoiding reading or close work, often due to discomfort or frustration.
• Losing place while reading, indicating potential tracking difficulties.
• Reversing letters or numbers, which can stem from visual processing challenges.
• Poor sports performance, such as trouble catching a ball or maintaining hand-eye coordination.
• Headaches after visual tasks like reading, writing, or screen time, a common sign of eye strain.
• Difficulty completing homework due to fatigue or an inability to sustain focus.
• A short attention span with visual tasks, such as reading or puzzles, indicating focus or coordination issues.

Additional signs that may indicate the need for a developmental vision assessment include:

• Squinting, covering one eye, or tilting the head while reading or focusing on objects.
• Complaints of blurry or double vision, especially during near work.
• Rubbing eyes frequently, signaling discomfort or fatigue.
• Difficulty copying from the board to paper, due to challenges with shifting focus between distances.
• Poor handwriting or difficulty spacing letters, often tied to visual-motor integration problems.
• Sensitivity to light or glare, which can make it uncomfortable to work in well-lit environments.
• Frequently skipping or rereading lines of text, a common symptom of tracking difficulties.
• Trouble following moving objects, such as during sports or physical play.
• Difficulty recognizing patterns, shapes, or objects, which may point to visual perception issues.
• An aversion to visually detailed activities, such as puzzles, coloring, or building blocks.

These symptoms can significantly impact a child’s academic performance, social interactions, and self-esteem. A developmental vision assessment can pinpoint the underlying causes of these issues and provide a clear path for improvement through targeted treatments like vision therapy.

When to Schedule a Pediatric Eye Exam

While developmental eye exams are critical if your child has symptoms that may indicate an issue, it is also extremely important  as they enter the school system. According to the American Optometric Association, up to 25% of school-aged children may have vision problems that could affect their learning and development. 

Here are key milestones for scheduling a developmental eye exam:

• At 3-5 years 
• When they begin first grade

If your child has failed a vision screening at school, or if there are concerns about their visual development, it is crucial to seek a comprehensive pediatric eye exam. Early intervention can dramatically improve outcomes for children with vision issues.

The Neuro-Visual Performance Institute Difference

Serving Our Kentucky Communities
While our main offices are in Versailles and Somerset, we proudly serve patients from:

• Greater Lexington area
• Frankfort and Franklin County
• Danville and Boyle County
• Lawrenceburg and Anderson County
• Nicholasville and Jessamine County
• Throughout Southern and Central Kentucky

Vision Therapy and Treatment Programs at Neuro-Visual Performance Institute

Beyond Traditional Eye Care

Dr. Rick Graebe, FCOVD, a leading developmental optometrist in Central Kentucky, provides advanced vision therapy programs that address the complex relationship between vision and learning. Our evidence-based approach has helped patients from Lexington, Frankfort, and throughout Southern Kentucky achieve lasting improvements in their visual skills.

Customized Vision Therapy Programs

Each therapy program at our Versailles and Somerset locations is individually designed to address:

Visual Efficiency Skills

• Eye tracking enhancement
• Focus control development
• Eye teaming improvement
• Visual endurance building

Visual Processing Development

• Visual memory strengthening
• Visual-spatial skills enhancement
• Visual analysis capabilities
• Form perception and recognition

Visual-Motor Integration

• Hand-eye coordination refinement
• Visual-motor timing
• Balance and spatial awareness
• Sports vision enhancement

The Vision Therapy Process

Initial Consultation
Dr. Graebe conducts a thorough evaluation to assess all aspects of visual function and develops a customized treatment plan.

Who Can Benefit from a Developmental Eye Exam?