As you know, the child is born not with 100% vision. With the growth of a small man, visual functions develop and improve. In the process of cognition and perception of the world around us with the help of vision, we learn about the color of various objects, their shape and magnitude, as well as their spatial location and the degree of remoteness from us or from something. Thanks to various visual functions, we get information about the world around us.
The main visual functions are: visual acuity; line of sight; coloration; oculomotor functions; nature of vision. Reduction of any of the above functions leads to a violation of visual perception.
Violation of visual acuity leads to a decrease in the resolution of the eyes, speed, accuracy, completeness of perception, which leads to difficulty and slowing down the recognition of images and objects. Violation of visual acuity is manifested, as a rule, in the form of hyperopia, myopia, astigmatism (a violation manifested in a change in the refraction of the optical system of the eye in various meridians).
The presence of violations of the functions of coloration causes the emergence of various difficulties of perception, the lack of the ability to distinguish one of the three colors (blue, red, green) or causes a mixture of red and green colors.
Violation of the oculomotor functions causes the deviation of one eye from the common fixation point, which leads to strabismus.
Violation of the functions of the field of view makes it difficult for the simultaneity, integrity and dynamism of perception, which hinders the spatial orientation.
The presence of violations of the binocular nature of vision leads to a decrease in the ability to see at once with two eyes, and also disturbs the perception of the object as a whole, leading to a distortion of the spatial, stereoscopic perception of the surrounding world.
Light sensitivity is manifested immediately after the birth of the child. Light has a stimulating effect in the development of the baby's visual system, and also serves as the basis for the formation of all visual functions.
Correction in children of visual functions is carried out on justified indications, when violations in the visual abilities of a child are actually observed. You should know that the central vision is manifested in the child only in the 2-3 months of life. As the baby grows, it improves. The visual acuity of a newborn baby is extremely low and is 0.005-0.015, after several months it rises to 0.01-0.03. By two years, visual acuity averages 0.2-0.3 and only to 6-7 years (and according to some data and to 10-11) reaches 0.8-1.0.
In parallel with the development of visual acuity, the formation of color perception functions also takes place. As a result of scientific research, it was revealed that the ability to distinguish color first appears in 2-6 months. By the age of four to five, the color perception in children is fairly well developed, but at the same time it continues to improve.
The boundaries of the visual field of pre-school children are approximately 10 percent lower than in adults. By the age of 6-7 years they reach normal values.
The binocular vision function develops later than all visual functions. Thanks to this function, a more accurate estimate of the depth of space is made. A qualitative change in the assessment of spatial perception occurs at the age of 2-7 years, at a time when the child is mastering speech and mastering abstract thinking.
To make a correct assessment of the visual apparatus of the child, it is important to visit a pediatric ophthalmologist on time. It is recommended to visit a doctor at the age of 1-2 months (to exclude serious anomalies in the development of eye functions) and at 10-11 months (when cardinal changes occur in the change in the visual field of the baby). In the period from one to three years it is important to visit an ophthalmologist once a year. If there are no problems with eyesight, then the next check is done at the age of six, before the school, and then it is checked each time when crossing the class. In school years, when there is a high load on the visual apparatus of the child, experts recommend checking the visual functions every two years.
Visual functions and their correction - a serious analysis of the visual apparatus, where the correct evaluation and choice of treatment methods are important. Therefore, in the presence of any deviations, it is very important to find a competent specialist and strictly follow the recommendations, as well as the prescribed schemes for correcting the visual functions of the child.