Vision Problems, The Most Frequent Cause Of School Failure
School failure is the consequence of many factors, most of which are difficult to detect. In the case of vision problems, they are one of the main causes, but they are not always clearly determined. At least one in three children who fail in school is believed to do so as a result of poor vision.
In this regard, it is known that ignorance in this matter has generated a delay in the diagnosis and treatment of vision problems in children. For this reason, experts have estimated that 50% of children who require the use of optical devices do not, in particular because parents have not detected the problem.
Currently, many associations have shown interest in raising awareness among parents and teachers in order to act in the prevention and treatment of poor vision in children. Although there are many points that offer eye care today, we have not yet developed this culture appropriately.
Data raises alarm about vision problems
According to data collected by the Council of the College of Opticians Optometrists, the Institute of Visual Sciences of Madrid and the Ministry of Education; cases of defective vision in schoolchildren are alarming. However, the most worrying data are those that point to ignorance and late diagnosis as the main cause of these problems.
Visual health complications can affect children from their first months, however, it is not until school when they are seriously affected by this problem. According to figures from specialized agencies, only three out of ten children undergo eye examinations before reaching the age of seven.
It is estimated that a child who has presented vision problems before arriving at school, in few cases has been diagnosed, which is why he begins his school stage at a disadvantage. According to figures from the Madrid Institute of Visual Sciences, 30% of learning problems found in children correspond to visual health deficiencies.
Recent studies have revealed that conditions such as myopia are on the brink of a pandemic. For example, in Europe it is estimated that more than 50% of children suffer from this disease, in terms of the general population affected in Spain, the consequences have reached at least 25 million Spaniards.
In this regard, it is considered that vision problems are already alarming due to the number of affected people. Therefore, it is difficult not to believe that this situation is reflected in education and that, incidentally, it is responsible for 30% of the cases of school failure.
Children do not go to the ophthalmologist as often
Missions such as those carried out by the “Vision and Life” association have been dedicated to educating in relation to visual health care during childhood, which they have done through a process of raising awareness about the importance of this issue. Projects like this are born because there is a certainty that there is a need to act; children need to be screened, but many parents do not.
According to the Council of the College of Optometrists, nowadays children are regularly taken to the dentist more than to the ophthalmologist, this because awareness campaigns are different in both cases. Although dental health is known to be very important, in the case of vision, there could be significant consequences for the child’s development if it is neglected.
The neglect of visual health affects many children today, but so far the lack of action in this regard does not allow us to account for the reality in Spain. That is why different campaigns have been started that seek, in addition to educating, to collect real data about the visual state of Spanish children.
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