Check out the latest Wellbeing Panel with Harry and Sally. Today we discuss Vision – and have an interesting discussion about how it affects our lives. Harry discusses the importance of vision with kids and debates the old age expectation of making eye contact. Sally struggles with getting over the cultural politeness of having manners vs the overload processing which can cause people to look away. What do you think?
Have a listen and like us, subscribe and leave a comment! Like any of our senses it is important to value it, protect it and to use our eyes wisely.
Does your child avoid eye contact and is this defiance?
Many adults expect their kids to maintain eye contact when conversing, as I did when our kids were young. In our society, eye contact is associated with good manners, common courtesy and paying attention. There is always a good reason for the behaviours in our children that annoy or disappoint us.
Sure, sometimes children avoid eye contact as an act of defiance, but it is often so they can better listen to you by removing the need to process what they see. Most of the children I see in the clinic look away to avoid overload. If you require them to look at you and remain still while you talk to them, as many teachers do. Paradoxically this will reduce their capacity to listen and comprehend what you are saying.
Struggling to read?
When I assess a child who is to struggling to learn, I always ask them a series of questions around their vision. Often it is the first time they have been asked these simple questions. Their answers allow me to discover if visual issues (vision or visual processing) are undermining their ability to master literacy. You can ask these simple questions like this at home:
- Is writing always clear on the page?
- Is it ever blurry?
- Do letters ever move on the page?
- How often do you lose your place while reading?
Protect your vision and eyesight
To maintain healthy visual muscles, it is important to:
- Protect your eyes from UV exposure with sunglasses and or a brimmed hat
- Maintain a good diet
- Focus from near to far, so try to balance any screen time with outside activities
- Regular vision checkups
- Seek help if you have red eyes, vision is blurry or your eyes hurt
Photo by Daniil Kuželev on Unsplash
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To find out more about what Sally Estlin does, head here;