Symptoms of a vision problem
The difference between eyesight and vision
Eyesight is a measure of how well a person can read letters at a given distance. Reading the “20 line” on an eye chart at 20 feet, for instance, translates into “20/20 eyesight.”
Vision refers to the health and abilities of the eyes and how well they work.
A person with good vision has
- Strong eye movement control (including focusing and tracking)
- Good eye teaming skills
- Good eye-hand coordination
- The ability to recognize symbols and images and connect them with sound and touch
Symptoms of a vision problem
Too often children and adults compensate for vision problems in order to handle their day to day responsibilities at school and work.
In children
In children, symptoms of a vision problem often mimic more widely understood problems such as learning disorders, ADHD and dyslexia. This may lead to misdiagnosis and then frustration when treatment is unsuccessful. Many learning disorders may actually be caused by a vision problem. See an extended list of symptoms that may help detect a vision problem in children here.
Parents should also consider taking our vision quiz with their children for instant feedback.
In adults
In adults or traumatic brain injury patients, some vision symptoms that could indicate a vision problem include headaches, double vision, blurred vision and eye aches or pain. To see if vision therapy could help you, visit our vision therapy for adults page. If you’ve suffered a traumatic brain injury, see our vision symptom checklist on our vision therapy for traumatic brain injury page.