Jump to content

Menu

Nearsighted homeschoolers? My encounter with stereotypes this week


Karen in CO
 Share

Recommended Posts

I took my dd12 to our eye doctor yesterday because she's been suffering from eyestrain lately. I wanted to make sure her reading glasses are still the proper strength; however, I was treated to my doctor's view of homeschoolers. He said that most homeschoolers he sees in his practice are nearsighted bookworms that should spend more time outdoors or even watch a little tv every now and then.

 

My dd and I exchanged some surprised looks because we know a LOT of kids that are opposite of this. He said he prescribes the reading glasses to reduce eyestrain, but he wished he could prescribe them a bike instead. He is a member of the health committee for a local school board which probably says a lot about his views on education.

 

 

Have you encountered a similar stereotype? Where do your kids fit? Are your kids nearsighted? There were also a few studies last year about myopia in Asian school kids. I thought ps kids would have more trouble than homeschool kids.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I took my dd12 to our eye doctor yesterday because she's been suffering from eyestrain lately. I wanted to make sure her reading glasses are still the proper strength; however, I was treated to my doctor's view of homeschoolers. He said that most homeschoolers he sees in his practice are nearsighted bookworms that should spend more time outdoors or even watch a little tv every now and then.

 

My dd and I exchanged some surprised looks because we know a LOT of kids that are opposite of this. He said he prescribes the reading glasses to reduce eyestrain, but he wished he could prescribe them a bike instead. He is a member of the health committee for a local school board which probably says a lot about his views on education.

 

 

Have you encountered a similar stereotype? Where do your kids fit? Are your kids nearsighted? There were also a few studies last year about myopia in Asian school kids. I thought ps kids would have more trouble than homeschool kids.

 

Oh, for crying out loud.

 

I began wearing glasses in the fourth grade (public school). I probably needed them before then. Mr. Ellie, a public school graduate, also wears glasses.

 

Neither of our daughters does.

 

Of course, Dr. Moore might have agreed, as he believed that there shouldn't be an emphasis on reading until children were 10ish, because he believed early reading increased the likelihood of vision correction. Nevertheless, your doctor needs some stereotype adjustments. :glare:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Every single person in my entire family is near sighted. Public schooled, private schooled, homeschooled, dropped out of school. I daresay genes has more to do with it than school choice.

 

Honestly, my older kid is a bookworm and wears big blue glasses. My younger one loves books but isn't reading yet.

 

Still, I think he has more time dedicated to bikes and TV than he would if he had to spend 7 hours a day in school.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yet another echo that your eye doc is a nitwit...

 

My homeschooler is indeed myopic and my PS has perfect vision. My PSer is the bookworm.

Their father (schooled) has perfect vision and I (schooled) am something like 20/800.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm confused I thought nearsighted meant that you had trouble seeing far away not close up. I wear glasses all of the time for reading and because I have Astigmatism. None of my kids wear glasses right now. Both of my dd's I was told were slightly farsighted but not enough to warrant glasses at their ages unless they were having trouble.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What an idiot! My kindergarten DD has strabismus, got glasses when she was 3 due to a severe astigmatism, wore a patch for a year, and had eye surgery last August. Guess all that was caused by her future in homeschooling!

 

DD 9 was just diagnosed as being slightly nearsighted. She reads for hours each night....and also plays soccer year around and runs three times a week during the entire practice/game. Yeah, I'm sure homeschooling caused that. Funny, DH and I both wear glasses and neither of us were homeschooled. How ironic!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm actually amazed that DD8 hasn't yet needed glasses, since literally every person currently alive that is genetically related to her and is over the age of 12 has them-and the typical age seems to be right about age 8-9. She was a ridiculously early reader, too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well all my kids don't wear glasses. I have a slight astigmatism in my right eye but don't require glasses. My husband however has been pretty much blind as a bat since he was 12. Our daughter has needed vision therapy due to eye teaming issues but she also seems to have other learning issues going on and still doesn't need glasses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both my kids are pretty near sighted. As was their father, who was the 3rd of 4 kids that was so active growing up. My kids are super squirrely and active. Actually, I found out they were near sighted when they started moving closer to the TV. Genes in this case for sure. My older was an early and avid reader. My younger child was an early reader, but not as avid as young as the older. Same eye sight.

 

FTR, I have a slight correction for both eyes. I'm near sighted in one and far sighted in the other. It's so minor, I usually don't wear correction (and I'm 42 - it's been stable for a while). I was definitely more of a book worm growing up than DH.

 

ETA - my very nearsighted DH had Lasik 13 years ago. He's been very happy with that decision.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I took my dd12 to our eye doctor yesterday because she's been suffering from eyestrain lately. I wanted to make sure her reading glasses are still the proper strength; however, I was treated to my doctor's view of homeschoolers. He said that most homeschoolers he sees in his practice are nearsighted bookworms that should spend more time outdoors or even watch a little tv every now and then.

 

My dd and I exchanged some surprised looks because we know a LOT of kids that are opposite of this. He said he prescribes the reading glasses to reduce eyestrain, but he wished he could prescribe them a bike instead. He is a member of the health committee for a local school board which probably says a lot about his views on education.

 

 

Have you encountered a similar stereotype? Where do your kids fit? Are your kids nearsighted? There were also a few studies last year about myopia in Asian school kids. I thought ps kids would have more trouble than homeschool kids.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

wow...just wow. maybe a new Dr. and be sure to drop him a note and tell him why...

 

of 4 kids, 1 needs glasses....but her dad also wears glasses and his near-sightedness came upon him in college. He was schooled in a normal school.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow! That is almost the exact same thing an eye dr. told my oldest. He actually had her afraid of reading. It didn't seem to matter to him that both dh and I are also nearsighted and we were public schooled and spent almost all of our time outdoors.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:confused: What? Are.You.Kidding.Me? He is a doctor for crying out loud, he should know that this is primarily a genetic problem. It reminds me of the time when I asked a dermatologist if younger kids can get rosacea because my dd's cheeks stayed flushy red. She was five and he snickered at my question, looked at the nurse, and said, "she's been boozing it up, I guess?" Okay, study after study shows that while alcohol can aggravate rosacea, it doesn't cause rosacea. I have rosacea and I do not drink. :cursing:

 

My dd wasn't reading yet when we found out she was severely myopic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That the strangest thing I have ever heard. My ds was able to read the bottomline of the chart without even a hint of a squint. Meanwhile, the assistant and I had to move closer to see if he was correct (and he was). My dd is also able to read that line. Neither one inherited my nearsighteness. So far, they have their fathers good eyesight. And they both spend a lot of time with their books.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Haha, he has not met my boys who would rather have a root canal than read a book. None of my kids wear glass despite the bad eyes in everyone other than me on both sides of the family. My dd is 13, and she reads all.the.time. We do have to tell her to book the book down and go outside, but she still reads probably 6 hours or more a day.

 

My dh was public schooled, and blind as a bat. He was an avid reader, but that has nothing to do with it.

 

It sounds like that doc just has something against homeschoolers. Ignore him. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's just ridiculous. One of my daughters does wear glasses, but the other has perfect vision 20/20 vision. They are both voracious readers. I agree you need to find a new doctor. Our eye doctor is always so sweet -- he always compliments my dds on how smart and well behaved they are -- and in fact, attributes it to homeschooling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The insane part of that isn't that he thinks homeschooling somehow leads to bad eyesight, but that he doesn't realize that OF COURSE most of the ones he sees in his practice have eye issues. The kids who can see just fine never need to go to the eye doctor! Simple logic failure by a doctor, he should be embarrassed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I took my dd12 to our eye doctor yesterday because she's been suffering from eyestrain lately. I wanted to make sure her reading glasses are still the proper strength; however, I was treated to my doctor's view of homeschoolers. He said that most homeschoolers he sees in his practice are nearsighted bookworms that should spend more time outdoors or even watch a little tv every now and then.

 

My dd and I exchanged some surprised looks because we know a LOT of kids that are opposite of this. He said he prescribes the reading glasses to reduce eyestrain, but he wished he could prescribe them a bike instead. He is a member of the health committee for a local school board which probably says a lot about his views on education.

 

 

Have you encountered a similar stereotype? Where do your kids fit? Are your kids nearsighted? There were also a few studies last year about myopia in Asian school kids. I thought ps kids would have more trouble than homeschool kids.

 

 

Of course they are nearsighted. Both their parents are. :001_huh:

 

I would be looking for another doctor as an optometrist who thought nearsightedness was caused by reading would alarm me: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001023.htm

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like to think doctors are well educated, intelligent people. But the truth is only well educated is universally applicable. A pediatrician we were seeing for Ds for anxiety an panic attacks (just to get a referral) told him earnestly that if he loved God, he should pray, and God would take away his anxiety. Because kids with anxiety need to also worry about loving God enough (we are atheists, by the way) and a medical doctor who believes prayer cures mental illness is just...well...

 

Like any profession, you get your nut jobs. I see you have met your local nut job!

 

I filled a comment card out about the doc, but as we are military, I doubt it made a difference. I just rushed us out of there, not wanting to cause a scene and increase Ds uncomfortableness and anxiety with the situation. Bit boy, I wish I'd given her a piece of my mind!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My DD got glasses for nearsightedness while she was in school at the exact same age I did. My boys have passed that age point and still don't need glasses. Their father has 20/20 vision to this day and they might take after him. I wonder what he would say to that?

 

I would find an eye doctor that doesn't love to hear himself talk. Sheesh.

It's more genetics than anything and I would expect someone in a medical field that is holding our eye health in his/her hands to know that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have never heard such rubbish before. I am very near sighted with astigmatism in each eye and getting worse, tot he point that the dr says I will never need reading glasses, I read better if I take my glasses off to do so. I started needing glasses at 12 years old and was always psed.

 

All 4 of my kids have pretty much perfect vision, dd13 was far sighted and needed glasses when she was in 1st grade in ps. She struggled because she could not see the white board properly as a result. It has pretty much self corrected as she grew. they all have 20/20 vision.

 

Physical working of the eyes is not caused or cured by any particular form of schooling. That is like those "experts" that claim that mental illness, adhd etc would all be cured if the child was sent to ps to learn to be with others.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Totally stupid. Out of my three kids, the one who wears glasses is the dyslexic who started reading the latest and while she does read, she isn't a reader as much as the other two are. I got myopia and astigmatism at around 9. She didn't need glasses until about 13. Also she has different problems than me, just the astigmatism is the same. My dh has late onset myopia because he didn't become myopic until early 40's/ And no, he didn't suddenly start reading more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...