Behavioral optometrist tries to help children with their development problems

March 10, 2010

One of the main results of children not being properly diagnosed with poor vision is that they may develop learning disabilities or behavioral problems as they grow. Students with bad vision have a tendency to fall behind in school because they cannot focus or read what the teacher is writing.

One optometrist is trying to help children who experienced a slow progression in their learning because of previously undiagnosed problems with their eye sight. Stanley Appelbaum considers himself a behavioral optometrist, someone who goes beyond eye care and offers vision therapy, according to The New York Times.

Appelbaum helps children who have struggled in school, and teaches them to love to learn again. Many students whose poor vision goes undiagnosed experience frustration and sometimes even act out as a result of feeling that something is wrong with them.

"There are a lot of doctors and therapists who have a vested interest in teaching the child how to deal with their problem," Appelbaum told the Times. "Then there are people like me . . . who want to get rid of the root of the problem."

According to the American Optometric Association, children should have an eye test every other year to check on their eye health.