Print out this test and circle the letter that best describes your child’s experience for each statement.

N= Never     S= Sometimes      O= Often     A= Always                  

1.   My child says he or she can’t see clearly while reading.	N  S  O  A
2.   My child gets tired while reading.	N  S  O  A
3.   My child cannot concentrate well when reading.	N  S  O  A
4.   My child’s vision seems worse in the afternoon/evening than in the       morning.	N  S  O  A
5.   My child has learning problems.	N  S  O  A
6.   My child’s eyes tear a lot.	N  S  O  A
7.   Reading or working at a computer for a few hours gives my child a       headache.	N  S  O  A
8.   My child closes one eye when reading.	N  S  O  A
9.   My child rubs his or her eyes at the end of the day.	N  S  O  A
10. My child is a slow reader.	N  S  O  A
11. My child has difficulty understanding what he or she is reading.	N  S  O  A
12. My child has a short attention span.	N  S  O  A
13. My child skips or repeats lines when reading.	N  S  O  A
14. I see one of my child’s eyes wandering outwards or inwards.	N  S  O  A
15. My child gets car sick.	N  S  O  A
16. My child finds it difficult to read in a car or on a bus.	N  S  O  A
17. My child is not performing up to his or her potential	N  S  O  A
18. My child can’t keep up with assignments in school.	N  S  O  A
19. My child tries to avoid doing homework and other reading.	N  S  O  A
20. My child complains of itching or irritation in his or her eyes	N  S  O  A

Even one or two "always" or "often" answers -- or clusters of "sometimes" answers -- may signal that your child has an eye muscle problem causing asthenopia. Asthenopia is the medical term for eyestrain. Even irritability when reading or using a computer can be a vision-related symptom. Discuss your child’s symptoms with your eye doctor.

Using sophisticated equipment, your doctor can measure your child’s binocular vision skills – test for convergence, accommodation, eye alignment and teamwork. If testing indicates irregularities, your eye doctor may recommend a vision therapy program. HTS can provide you with a list of doctors in your area who provide the computerized HTS Home Vision Therapy program.

Vision therapy can retrain your child’s eye muscles to meet the visual demands of today’s school environment. Your child can have increased pleasure in reading and computer use, a longer attention span, and enhanced school performance.