At a recent visit to my kids' Optometrist, she said that she found Homeschooled kids more likely to be 'Nearsighted'. I found this to be pretty interesting. She said that she blamed it most of the time, on the use of poor lighting; when kids have to sit for long hours writing or reading a book at home.
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish I could triple the size of my lol!!! I am nearsighted and have been since I was in PUBLIC SCHOOL!!!! What is her reasoning for this!
At first I thought you heard this is the news, and that would def be news to me! Though your Optometrist said this? How odd. As all my children are Farsighted, I guess we use good lighting. I on the other hand am Nearsighted and went to public schools, so I guess the schools I went to had poor lighting. Boy oh boy, would I have loved to have that conversation with your Optometrist!!!!
No one in my family wears glasses, but she suggested that because I homeschooled, I could get the kids some glasses, 'just to improve their vision'. Just a little something she said to magnify the words on the paper. So they could see the words bigger and clearer.
I'm nearsighted and was completely public schooled. My middle DD is WAY FARSIGHTED!!!! Which is completely hereditary since so many in my side of the family are farsighted. I think your optometrist just doesn't see enough homeschoolers :lol:
WOW, talk about generalizations. I am VERY nearsighted and I went to public school all my life! Good grief, the things people say sometimes.
I don't agree with the doc. either, but it does make me wonder how well my HS is lighted. Just brings it to mind is all. I think I should have better lighting, but not because I believe the doc.
I actually wouldn't be surprised to find a stastical correlation, although not for reasons your op said (and I agree, glasses as preventative measure sounds to me like 'shop for a new op', LOL). But this is why I wouldn't be surprised: away from the pressures of public school, (I would guess that) a larger percentage of homeschooled kids enjoy learning and thus reading and/or examining books. If more kids enjoy it, I wouldn't be surprised to find that more kids are like my DD - laying at the edge of their bed, trying to read at bedtime via the light from their hallways (or flashlights, or other non-permisable methods). My op also told me - and I didn't know this - that my kids need to be sitting up to read, because laying down strains their developing eye muscles (no prob for adults, he said). Again, I wouldn't be surprised to find that few HSers spend most of their reading time sitting up straight at a desk - we are more slouchers/layers as we read. So I wouldn't be surprised if your op is right, but not for the reasons she said. Nola
oh for heavens sake. What I would guess is this. Homeschoolers are with their parents all day, said parents notice that the children are not seeing things. (the bird in the tree, the sign in the grocery store) Said parents take child to the optomitrist for glasses. School children may go years before a teacher notices that they are squinting at the board. Then she has to tell the school nurse, then the nurse tests the child and THEN she has to contact the parents. I got glasses the summer we drove up Idaho for vacation. My dad noticed I could not read the signs until way after he could. It had not hampered my schooling in the least. (second grade)
That's like saying "most of the people I see that are nearsighted have brown hair, so brown hair must cause nearsightedness. Crock!
I know proper lighting is important but ... My husband said to get another opinion as well. Which we did. Their vision is fine. Thanks!
The first part of the original post should be... How to know you doc is a crock and when to walk out, laughing.....
My question is how many homeschool students could she have possible seen in her office? Enough to make that kind of generalization? "Yes, all three of the homeschool students I've seen are nearsighted, therefore all homeschool student must be nearsighted..." :roll:
Well, the PS kids sure won't become near-sighted from reading too much! After all, most of THEM can't read!!!
