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www.FredericksburgParent.NET 15 Sponsored Material Join us for the live conversation on Q: Can reading diffi culties be tied to an issue with your eyes? Approximately 80 percent of learning is through the visual system. Problems with reading comprehension, fluency, attention, hand- writing, math, spelling and test taking can be caused by issues with the eyes or how the brain processes the visual information. If the eyes are not teaming together, a student can see double vision when reading, or skip letters, words, numbers or punctuation. If the eyes tire too quickly or cannot see clearly, the eyes cannot attend to what is on the page and the person can have trouble transcribing from the board to their com- puter or paper causing his or her attention span decreases. Issues with tracking can lead to issues with handwriting, reading fluency and math. Problems with visual processing can cause deficiencies in visual memory, decoding, and visualization as a whole. Many patients diagnosed with ADD/ADHD are misdiagnosed and actually have a visual processing issue. My practice offers testing for learning-related visual issues and offer vision therapy, both at home and in-office. Vision therapy is the most effective when the child is younger. Q: Why does pollen make my eyes itch? Pollen can enter into the nose and the eyes and trigger an allergic response. The fine particles cause histamine release which activates inflammatory cells called mast cells. An increase in these cells irritate the clear tissue covering the white part of the eye—the con- junctiva—causing swelling, redness, tearing and itching. In contact lens wearers, it can lead to Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis, which decrease lens wear time and tolerance. Other reasons the eyes can itch include dryness, fatigue from focusing issues, digital eye strain and over expo- sure to harmful blue light. Do you have questions for Dr. Tsai, O.D., F.V.A.O.? You will definitely want to jump in on our Facebook Live chat, "Ask The Expert", this month! Details will be announced on our social media, so be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for information and updates. Facebook: @fredericksburgparent Twitter: @FredParent Instagram: @fredparentmagazine a sk t h e e x p e rt Q: What is pink eye, and how can I keep my kids from getting it? Pink eye is also known as conjunctivitis. The most common causes of conjuncti- vitis are from bacterial or viral infections and allergies. Contrary to the belief, not all conjunctivitis needs antibiotics. At our prac- tice, we offer testing to determine what the causative factor may be, as well as deter- mine the appropriate treatment. The best ways for anyone, especially children, to prevent contracting it is to wash their hands after touching dirty objects, keep their hands away from their eyes, and clean debris and sweat from their face and eyes every night and day. Q: Am I crazy or can pregnancy affect your sight? During pregnancy hormone levels change and estrogen and progesterone levels increase. Estrogen receptors are in the cornea, the Meibomian glands of the eyelid, and the retina. Estrogen causes the corneas to thicken and elongate the overall length of the eye which causes a nearsighted shift. Usually, this is temporary but for some women it can be permanent. Gestational diabetes and high blood pressure can also affect the vision, as well as the health of the eye. Hormonal changes can also cause an increase pressure in the cerebral spinal fluid leading to symptoms like headaches, vision prob- lems, nausea, and dizziness causing a condition caused pseudotumor cerebri. A retinal check is crucial for those who are diagnosed with any of those conditions. Harmful blue light is emitted from digital devices which increases the damage to the retina and macular degeneration. " " Approximately of learning-related issues are secondary to some type of vision or visual processing problem. of learning-related issues 75%