Visual Skills Assessment
When we refer to vision we tend to think of how clear we see an image. The sense of sight is really just a small part of vision – a detailed neurological process is involved in vision.
Vision refers to the interpretation and understanding of the images that we see. It is this understanding of the images received in the visual cortex that gives us the opportunity to react and respond to our environment. The eyes have an active role to play in literacy. It is very important to see clearly and have healthy eyes, however in order to read efficiently it is essential to have efficient visual skills. All people who read will benefit from a visual skills assessment or analysis – especially those who have literacy difficulties.
The Visual Skills Assessment includes the following:
The routine eye test:
This includes measuring of eyesight and prescription. The health of the eyes and the basic visual functions (colour vision, alignment, and focus) are also included in a routine eye test.
The Visual Skills Evaluation:
Assesses the ability of the eyes to align, focus and track efficiently. These skills are quantified and compared to expected clinical norms. The influence of the binocular vision and eye tracking skills in learning and reading is then established.
Pattern glare and the influence of colour and coloured filters in reading will also be investigated.


