Do many children diagnosed with ADHD and other learning disabilities really suffer from misdiagnosed vision problems? Advocates of a controversial new treatment approach called vision therapy say that's the case -- and they can help:

[Dr. Sharon Berger,] one of 1,600 members nationwide of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development, said that thousands of children who are tagged with the "learning disability" label actually have correctable problems involving eye muscles or a disconnect between what the eyes see and what registers on the brain.

The college contends that up to one in four kids starting school has vision problems that affect his or her performance in the classroom. And most of them have 20-20 vision.

What that means is they often can read the eye charts in their pediatricians' offices, but those lines of letters don't reveal flaws with eye or hand-eye coordination, lazy eye or other problems such as "eye teaming," which involves depth perception.

Such conditions often cause teachers or parents to think children have learning disabilities. ...

But vision therapists are having a hard time getting the word out, in part because the American Academy of Ophthalmology dismisses the techniques in an official policy statement. Optometrists have their own studies, however, that show that vision therapy works.

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/buzz/archives/003645.html

OMG!!!

i shouldn't feel bad...because i should still be thankful for being healthy and alive...u know...

But I realized and got properly diagnosed with lazy eyes when i was 16 i believed...i first complained about difficulty seeing blackboard when i was 9 yrs old...saw a couple of optometrists...didn't really give me a complete answer...i have my normal eye with 20/20 vision...so i can see without glasses...until i was 16 and had to get driving license...reality came...and that optometrist was gd and he told me the proper answer..i have lazy eye and i can't do much about it since it's too late..

until now...in college i couldn't concentrate in class...learned more about ADHD...got diagnosed...taking adderall

but my vision problem remains...and i think it has worsen...even i sit in the first row...i have to put so much effort to try to see...if i sit in the 5th row...forget it...and i get frustrated even more...besides i'm inattentive by nature in the first place

and until today...the vision is so bad that i have to do something...just taking adderall is not enough to get me through lectures...i searched on the internet and came across with a document talking about ADHD with vision problem...

once again...my troubled life is making more sense...
i can see why i can't keep reading my class material...

my mind wanders off because i have ADHD...
i have to look around and fidget because i'm hyper...
AND my eyes get tired faster than regular ppl...
AND i lost track of where i'm reading because my eyes don't coordinate...

so all together my study efficiency is so low...and i still can't quite retain info...and many hrs spent in library = still not be able to get much out of it

i coudn't take this anymore...

i haven't looked into hearing problems yet...but my hearing isn't gd either...

i'm so faulty and i wish i can do something about it...

Through having my son tested (an auditory processing test and congnative tests), I know that he has figure-ground discrimination difficulties...both visually and auditorily. I also know that I have the exact same problems...although I've not been tested officially. I have difficulties hearing if there is background noise, plus I find my eyesight is blurred around my focal point...both when reading and when looking at things. As I child I was told that I had a slight lazy eye and I had to do eye exercises...but I wonder if they did any good. We're lucky to have found out about a man here in Australia who make prism lens' to help with fixing both my visual problems and my son's. I pick my glasses up next week...but my son has had his for a month or so, and his behaviour has improved...he's not getting as frustrated so easily and then flying off the handle...but he is more inclined to talk now and his school work is begining to improve according to his teacher. So...so far, so good.

I happened to come across a website by Melvin Kaplan who resides in America (NY) and also uses these prism lens'.

www.autisticvision.com (http://www.autisticvision.com/)

...along with an interview with Kaplan:

www.autism.org/interview/kaplan.html (http://www.autism.org/interview/kaplan.html)

I also know of another website on Irlen syndrome...they use coloured lens' instead of prism to help with reading:

www.irlen.com (http://www.irlen.com/)

I'm not sure if the coloured filters fix the visual problems...but I have been told that these prism lens' do fix the problems by strengthening the eye muscles...but unfortunately, I've yet to try my glasses. I can let you know who they go if your interested.

Regards,

Susan

Dunno about this. I have 20-10 vision, no visual problems whatsoever, and given the vision problems that others in my family have, believe me, I've had plenty of tests done. I do, however, have complete and utter nerve deafness in my right ear, so maybe there is a connection between various sensory disturbances and AD/HD, but I'm not completely sold on it. Plenty of people with eyesight and hearing problems don't have AD/HD, whereas DE/NE problems, especially in the prefrontal cortex, do seem to be common in most people suffering from AD/HD, leading me to conclude that the disorder is more likely to be neurochemical in nature, rather than sensory.