Visual Impairment

What is Visual impairment?

Visual impairment refers to vision problems that:

• Cannot be corrected with glasses or contact lenses.
• Negatively affect your performance at school.

Common causes of Visual Impairment:

• Eye injury. This is the most common cause of visual impairment among teens. Injury may result from:
  • Air bags.
  • Sports.
  • Exposure to chemicals.
  • Recreational activities like fireworks or sparklers.
• Eye damage from diabetes.
• Amblyopia.
• Strabismus.
• Myopia.
• Hyperopia.
• Astigmatism.

Make sure that you know the warning signs of visual impairment, such as:

• Frequently blinking, squinting, covering one eye, or rubbing the eyes.
• Eyes that are red, tear frequently, bulge, or flutter.
• Eyes that are unfocused, crossed, or do not move together.
• Pupils that are white, gray, or yellow. The pupil is the center of the eye that is normally black.
• Turning or tilting the head to see better.
• Difficulty seeing distant things clearly. You may hold objects close to your face or sit close to the television.
• Difficulty seeing things that are close.
• Frequent headaches.
• Double vision.
• Blurred vision.
• Light sensitivity.
• Frequent stumbling or bumping into things. It may be hard to play sports that require hand-eye coordination.
• Short attention span.

How can visual impairment affect me in school?

Having good vision is important for learning. Vision problems do not affect intelligence, but they can make learning more difficult unless you have extra help. While at school, you may struggle with:

• Seeing things at the front of the classroom.
• Reading and writing. You may dislike work that involves reading or writing or may take longer to read and write than your classmates.
• Participating in classroom activities, after-school activities, or sports.
• Moving safely around the classroom and getting from place to place.
• Using tools such as calculators, tablets, or computers.
• Interacting with your classmates.

You may not be able to do work that is required (not perform at grade level), or you may lose interest in school because of your visual impairment.

What actions can I take to lower my risk of educational delay?

• Know the warning signs of visual impairment so that you can start treatment as early as possible. Starting treatment early can help prevent or reduce educational delay. Talk with your health care provider about what treatment options are best for you.
• Get a vision test (vision screening) every 2 years, or as often as recommended. Vision screenings are often offered by schools, community centers, and your health care provider.
• Get a full eye exam done by an eye specialist (optometrist or ophthalmologist) as often as directed.
• Take steps to prevent visual impairment from getting worse:
  • Wear eye protection when doing activities that make eye injury likely, such as certain sports or classroom activities.
  • Wear sunglasses when you are exposed to sunlight.
  • Always follow instructions from your health care provider about wearing and cleaning glasses or contacts.
  • Work with your health care provider to manage any medical conditions you have.
  • Do not smoke. Avoid secondhand smoke.
• Work with your parents, teachers, and education specialists to make an education program (Individualized Education Program, IEP) that is right for you. Your IEP will be as similar to your normal school environment as possible (least restrictive environment). Your IEP may include using special equipment in the classroom to help you see, or getting help from specialists.
• Learn as much as you can about your condition and the services provided by your school.

Where to find support

To find support for preventing educational delay due to visual impairment:

• Talk with your health care providers and teachers. Ask about vision screenings, support services, and ways to prevent you from falling behind at school.
• Consider joining an online or in-person support group.

Where to find more information

Learn more about visual impairment and education delay from:

• Vision of Children Foundation: www.visionofchildren.org  
• TeensHealth: kidshealth.org/en/teens  
• American Foundation for the Blind: www.afb.org  

Summary

• Having good vision is important for you to be able to learn and succeed at school.
• Get a vision screening every 2 years, and get eye exams as often as told by your health care provider.
• Starting treatment early can help prevent or reduce educational delay.
• Find out what services your school provides to help you. This may include developing an IEP.