20/20 just means that the person can clearly see a certain letter on the standard eye chart (equivalent to what a person with normal vision should be able to see at 20 feet).  There's so much more to healthy vision than 20/20!

Our comprehensive vision exam goes beyond 20/20 to evaluate many important visual skills, such as:

• Visual Acuity at Near
  Is vision clear and single at close distances? Clear sight at short distances is critical to reading, writing, close work, computer use, etc.
  
  
• Eye Teaming Skills
  Do the two eyes aim, move, and work as a coordinated team? Weaknesses in binocular (two-eyed) vision and eye teaming skills can cause numerous difficulties, including convergence insufficiency and poor depth perception.
  
  
• Eye Focusing Skills
  Do the eyes maintain clear vision at varying distances? Rapid, automatic eye focus adjustment is critical to learning, reading, writing, sports, etc. Deficiencies can cause visual fatigue, reduced reading comprehension, and/or avoidance of close work or other activities.
  
  
• Eye Movement Skills
  Do eye movements show adequate muscle control, tracking, fixation, etc.? In the classroom, normal eye movements allow rapid and accurate shifting of the eyes along a line of print or from book to desk to board, etc.  In sports, efficient eye movements contribute to eye-hand coordination, visual reaction time, and accurate tracking.

Above are just a few of the many visual skills evaluated during our comprehensive vision exam.  In addition, the health of your eyes, inside and out, is carefully evaluated for such problems as cataracts, glaucoma, hypertension, diabetes, etc. 

At the Center for Vision and Learning we offer a range of assessments to thoroughly understand each patient's vision challenges. Patients who have not had an eye exam in the past year should start by scheduling a comprehensive eye exam. An additional appointment for further evaluation of eye movements, eye teaming, and/or visual perceptual skills may be necessary following your first visit. Patients who have already had an annual eye exam by an optometrist or ophthalmologist may start by scheduling a binocular vision evaluation. Please send records from previous eye exams prior to your appointment.

Vision Exams for Children

The American Optometric Association recommends that pre-school children receive a complete vision exam at the ages of six months, three years and five years. It is particularly important that a child have a complete evaluation in the summer prior to entry into Kindergarten. Missouri and Illinois recently passed laws requiring children to have an eye exam before starting public school. While in school, yearly evaluations are recommended.

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There's more to healthy vision than 20/20 eyesight!
Learn more about symptoms of visual problems which
affect reading, learning, school and sports success.