Visual System

Our visual system give us the ability to understand and see objects. The visual system allows us to move safely, learn and explore the environment and locate objects and items.

Our visual system allows us to:

• Visual tracking that is the ability of the eyes to focus on an object as it moves across the field of vision.

• Visual attention that is the ability to notice details, adjusting to patterns and reading others.

• Oculo-motor control that is the ability to use the hands and eyes together for smooth movement like coloring, throwing, or catching a ball or writing.

Which sensory issues we can have in our vision system?

Difficulty to sensory discriminate: when the brain has difficulty to understand and give meaning to sensory input like difficulty differentiating letters (p and q or b and d) or difficulty completing puzzles or word searches.

Difficulty to modulate visual stimulation: when the brain under responds or over responses to an input.

Like for example:

• Missing objects in competing backgrounds or finds difficulty to name or match colors, sizes.

• Difficulty seeing the “big picture”, focusing on the details or patterns within the picture.

• Stares at moving objects like fans or spin tops

• Difficulty to estimate distances.

• Avoids direct eye contact

• Difficulty to see objects in their path.

Visual praxis: is the difficulty to coordinate eyes and hands during activities.

Like for example:

• Difficulty to trace letter and lines.

• Difficulty to throw or catch a ball .

• Difficulty to kick a ball .

• Difficulty with fine motor skills.