New scientific evidence suggests that if your child has uncorrected or under-corrected hyperopia (farsightedness), their reading, social skills, and overall ability to learn will suffer. Some studies also suggest that it can negatively impact their future economic productivity as well.
So, how did the experts in this study determine how uncorrected hyperopia affected children’s learning? They began by searching for studies on the subject using the following medical databases:
- Embase (Ovid)
- PubMed
- Medline All (Ovid)
- Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature
- PsycINFO (Ovid)
- Web of Science
- International Clinical Trials Registry Platform
- Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
- The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials in the Cochrane Library
They then identified 25 studies, out of more than 3,000, that met the criteria they were looking for. These studies analyzed children between the ages of 4 and 17 who were in school and had been formally diagnosed with farsightedness. The children’s success in school, reading level and speed, and cognitive skills were all considered in each of the studies being analyzed.
In four of the studies experts analyzed, children with hyperopia showed noticeably worse performance in school, while in three of the studies, they were behind their peers in reading.
One study also compared children with farsightedness to those with nearsightedness, and found that those with farsightedness were significantly worse readers than those with nearsightedness.
Unsurprisingly, reading speed significantly improved when children were given glasses to correct their hyperopia.
The conclusions of the analysis suggests a strong link between hyperopia and difficulty learning in school, including learning how to accurately and efficiently read. However, because the studies analyzed all varied in a number of ways, including in methodology and sample size, it’s hard to exactly measure the extent to which they’re connected. Further research is needed to fully and accurately measure this connection.
Want to know more about hyperopia and your child’s learning? Visit our St. Charles eye doctors at Midwest Eye Associates today or give us a call at 314-833-8663.