If you think your child is underachieving, or if you just want to help your child develop good visual habits, this is a must read book. It takes very little time to read because it is clearly written and very well organized.

Most parents may not understand how catching a baseball or playing tennis, getting good grades, remembering things, emotional well-being, and reading are all related to healthy vision and perception. What’s more, if caught early, a great many problems children have in school, sports and social activities can be corrected relatively easily by developing proper channels for the eyes to communicate effectively with the brain.

In their book, Seeing is Achieving: Improve Your Child’s Chances for Success (1999), Dr. Donald J. Getz and Lora G. McGraw debunk the myths many of us share about children’s eyesight and present a checklist of telltale signs to help parents spot problems. They also present clear and simple case histories about the most typical childhood vision problems, and finally, how parents can provide fun and easy-to-teach visual skills with things around the house. The exercises clearly state which age group they are best for (between 2 and 18), what materials you need, and how long you should play each "game."

I encourage parents of young children to read this book, as a basic parenting primer – in case they ever face a special need in their child that may turn out to be related to vision.

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