Why Eye Health Education Belongs in Nebraska Schools

As an optometrist of 24 years who currently serves the community at Beyond Vision LNK - NeuroVision of Nebraska, I submitted recommendations advocating for stronger eye health education in schools when the Nebraska State Board of Education reviewed health education standards for K–12 students. My proposal outlined age-appropriate vision and eye health topics that could help students better understand how vision impacts learning, behavior, physical health, and overall quality of life.

The response? The recommendations were considered to have little importance.

But the reality is this: vision affects nearly every aspect of a child’s ability to learn, focus, read, participate in sports, regulate emotions, and navigate daily life. Yet vision education is almost entirely absent from most school health curricula.

Vision Problems Often Go Undetected

Many children struggling in school are not simply “bad readers,” inattentive, or unmotivated. In many cases, an underlying visual dysfunction may be contributing to their difficulties.

Research and clinical experience have shown that upwards of 50% of children diagnosed with ADHD or dyslexia may also have binocular vision dysfunction (BVD) or other visual skill deficits that remain untreated. When the eyes are not working together properly, students can experience:

●      Headaches

●      Eye strain

●      Difficulty concentrating

●      Poor reading comprehension

●      Motion sensitivity

●      Fatigue

●      Double vision

●      Anxiety in busy environments

●      Trouble tracking across a page

Children often cannot explain what they are experiencing because they assume everyone sees the world the same way they do.

Unfortunately, these visual issues are frequently overlooked in standard vision screenings that only evaluate eyesight clarity in the distance and are conducted by health professionals who lack the equipment needed to properly evaluate how the visual system functions with other sensory systems.

The Long-Term Impact of Ignoring Vision Health

When an underlying visual dysfunction goes unidentified, children may be placed on long-term academic intervention plans, behavioral programs, or medications without addressing a root cause.

While medication can be helpful for some patients, it may also create new focusing difficulties at near distances and increase visual strain, only compounding the child’s problems. Without a comprehensive evaluation of visual function, students may continue struggling unnecessarily.

Vision problems can also affect emotional regulation, confidence, athletic performance, and social development.

Some studies have even shown strong correlations between poorly developed visual skills, untreated binocular dysfunction, and higher rates of behavioral issues and juvenile delinquency. In a study in Ohio, 8 out of 10 juvenile delinquents were found to have an untreated visual problem.  While vision problems are rarely the sole cause of behavioral concerns, the visual system plays a far larger role in development and daily functioning than many people realize. And, any time a child has been in an abusive system or was at risk for a possible concussion, their risk of possible binocular vision dysfunction increases.

What Should Students Learn About Eye Health?

My recommendations for Nebraska schools included practical, real-world eye health topics that could benefit students at every grade level.

1. Understanding Physiological Diplopia

Most people have never heard of physiological diplopia — a normal visual phenomenon where objects outside the point of focus may appear doubled. Teaching students what is normal versus abnormal can help identify symptoms of binocular vision dysfunction earlier.

Children who constantly see shadows, overlapping text, or intermittent double vision may not realize their experience is unusual.

2. Nutrition, Hydration, and Vision

Students should understand how dehydration, excess sugar, caffeine, and popular energy drinks can affect eye health and visual performance.

Poor hydration and nutritional habits can contribute to:

●      Dry eyes

●      Eye fatigue

●      Headaches

●      Blurred vision

●      Reduced visual endurance

3. Medication Awareness and Visual Side Effects

Many medications for children (including those for ADHD, anxiety, depression, allergies, and hormones) can impact a child’s ability to focus, their pupil size, light sensitivity, cause dry eye symptoms, and reduce visual comfort.

Educating students and families about potential visual side effects encourages better communication with healthcare providers and greater awareness of how overall health and vision are connected.

4. Digital Device Use and Visual Hygiene

Today’s students spend countless hours on tablets, computers, phones, and gaming devices. Yet very few are taught proper visual hygiene habits.

Students should learn:

●      Appropriate screen distance

●      Proper posture

●      Healthy lighting conditions

●      The importance of visual breaks

●      Strategies to reduce digital eye strain

Symptoms of poor visual hygiene may include:

●      Light sensitivity

●      Headaches

●      Blurred vision

●      Dry eyes

●      Difficulty focusing

●      Neck and shoulder tension

As screen time continues to rise among children and teens, healthy lifestyle habits become increasingly important for maintaining comfortable vision. Teaching preventative strategies early can help reduce long-term strain on developing visual systems.

5. Concussions and Vision

Concussions frequently affect the visual system, yet many families are unaware that lingering symptoms after a head injury may be vision-related.

Students, parents, coaches, and educators should understand that concussion symptoms can include:

●      Dizziness

●      Double vision

●      Motion sensitivity

●      Difficulty reading

●      Poor balance

●      Headaches

●      Difficulty concentrating

Early identification and proper NeuroVisual care can play an important role in recovery and rehabilitation.

Vision Is Foundational for Learning

Approximately 80% of classroom learning is visually driven. Despite that, most educational systems provide little instruction about how vision works, how to recognize symptoms of dysfunction, and when to seek care beyond a standard eye exam.

Eye health education should not be considered optional or insignificant.

Helping students understand their visual system empowers them to advocate for themselves, recognize symptoms earlier, and access appropriate care when needed. Better awareness can improve not only academic performance, but also confidence, comfort, behavior, and overall well-being.

At Beyond Vision LNK - NeuroVision of Nebraska, my team and I are committed to helping patients uncover and address visual issues that are often missed in routine care — because seeing clearly is only one part of healthy vision.