Home \ VISION THERAPY: Who can it help? \ ADD/ADHD & Vision: Is there a connection?

Many people make the mistake of thinking that if a child has a chronically short attention span and has frequent behavior problems, then that means that the child likely has ADD/ADHD.  A child who can't easily  point their eyes to read, or can't focus their eyes (as you would focus a camera), or can't sustain either of those activities, will have difficulty.  They then have to use more energy and won't have enough left to concentrate on their work.  This then leads to a short attention span. 

 

The abbreviation ADD stands for Attention Deficit Disorder.  Attention means the ability to concentrate.  A "deficit" means "a lack of".  ADD therefore means a lack of the ability to concentrate.  If someone can't physically maintain concentrating for whatever reason, they may be then labeled ADD. 

 

What if the reason for the difficulty in concentrating was because my visual system was not working well and I was not able to point my eyes in for the amount of time needed to complete my homework?  Would I need medication (Ritalin, Concerta, Stratera, etc.) to correct that, or instead, could I learn how to increase my ability to do that skill?  If I could, then I would then be able to concentrate for longer periods and complete my work.  The point is that medication is not always the answer.  If there is a vision problem that is at the root of the issue, then medication will not correct the problem.  Medication may increase the ability to concentrate, but it often causes the physical focusing mechanism of the eye not to work as well.  Addressing this with medication often masks the problem.  Wouldn't it be just easier to address the root problem rather than try to solve the symptoms? 

 

Someone with difficulty concentrating because of a vision problem, may then be misdiagnosed as having Attention Deficit Disorder.  

 

If a child has difficulty reading or performing other activities, they may be embarrassed because they have that difficulty, and thus will act-out as a diversion.

 

Before a drastic diagnosis of ADD/ADHD is made, and medications prescribed, parents and teachers should first consider a comprehensive eye examination for their children. Much is at stake in the event of a misdiagnosis.