Visual Efficiency Or How well do we use

Visual Efficiency Or How well do we use the vision we have?

Definitions • Visual Efficiency – visual skills that make it possible to process the information that our eyes give us, adapt to the environment based on that information and respond the stimulation provided through sight.

Visual Acuity Definition: The degree of vision that it takes to distinguish detail at different distances. This one is easy. It is size and clarity. When we look at our students in an educational setting, can they see the material being presented to them in all the ways that it is being presented? Can they see the board? Are the items or words large enough for them to see them from their position in the room? Can they read the material in their books or on their handouts? Can they see the rivers and cities on a map? Can they see the name plates on the doors as they go down the hall? Can they see the presentations in the auditorium?

Visual Field Definition: The scope of area that someone can see without shifting their eyes or gaze. If someone is looking straight ahead, at what point can they see something coming from behind them, from the top of their head moving down, from their body moving up? This is what determines field of vision. For the field to be considered normal, it should be between 160 and 180 degrees from side to side and about 120 degrees from top to bottom. This is important for many reasons but mostly for safety sake. We need to know what is coming at us so we can properly respond. In a classroom setting, it dictates how much information we can take in at a glance or staring and focusing on the room. It can even effect how we read.

Ocular Motility Now that’s a fancy expression. All it means is: Definition: how well or efficiently we move our eyes. The definition may seem insignificant, but the skill is very important. This skill incorporates fixation (ability to fixate on an object), saccades (ability to jump our eyes from one object to another quickly and accurately) and pursuits (ability to follow or track things efficiently as they move). These are the skills that we need in order to read fluently, copy things from the board, drive, play sports, even pay attention.

Visual-Motor Integration Definition: the ability to use our vision in conjunction with our gross and fine motor skills. Fancy way of saying eye hand coordination. This is a biggie. We use this skill to tie our shoes, catch a ball, pour a glass of milk, bring our fork to our mouth. We also use this skill to write and draw. A child with pour VMI will have trouble staying in the lines, tracing a pattern, lining up their math problems, forming their letters correctly. Their organization skills will suffer.

Figure Ground Definition: the ability to pick out a particular item visually while ignoring extraneous items. It is sort of like looking for Waldo in a “Where’s Waldo” picture. Or finding the hidden scissors, squirrel, thimble, baseball cap, etc. in a picture of a little girl having a tea party. For many of our students, life is always like this. There is so much visual clutter in the room, on a handout, in a book, etc. There brain can’t handle that many images and still pick out the important item.

Visual Discrimination Definition: the ability to tell the difference in items, such as size, shape, etc. Is the triangle the same or different? Which direction does the B or b face, the D or d? What is the difference between a g and q; an m and an n and a w; a v and a w? How does is a square different than a rectangle? Does the amount of water change if you pour it from a cup to a glass?

Visual Closure Definition: the ability to determine what the whole picture will be without seeing the whole thing. Research has determined that when we read, most of us look at the first and last letter, and based on context, we fill in the rest of the work. This is due to our ability to use visual closure. We recognize the word without seeing the whole word. We use this when determining the missing piece, connecting the dots, visualizing the 3 D aspect of two dimensional pictures. • Arocdnicg to rsceearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer are in the rghit pcale. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit pobelrm. Tihs is buseace the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Visual Sequential Memory Definition: the ability to see a series of numbers, letters or objects and then reproduce them in the proper sequence. This is a skill that our students use every day in spelling, math, reading, art, music, etc. Children without this ability struggle for a lifetime. Phone numbers, addresses, repetitive directions all present challenges to kids who lack this visual skill.

So What Do We Do? As TVI’s we have a conundrum. We are teachers. We are not therapists. The type of work required to improve visual efficiency is therapy. We can teach our children to advocate for themselves about the needs that they have concerning their vision, and we can teach them to communicate what they see and don’t see. That is in our job description. We can provide equipment to compensate for acuity or field restrictions. We are not supposed to do therapy. Most of us are rule breakers. We have to think outside the box to work with the wide variety of conditions that we deal with. We provide light boxes, computer apps, toys, pictures, etc. , and we do therapy. The time is coming when the powers that be will have to accept that we are teachers when we teach braille. For the rest of our job, we are required to be therapists.