What is our Visual System and how do we get Visual Information?
Our visual system has receptors (or nerves that take information to our brain) obviously in our eyes (mainly at the back part of our eye), that give us the perception of color, objects, shapes, etc. When we think of our visual abilities, often we think only of “Can we see?” This is actually just our acuity: are we nearsighted, farsighted, 20/20, astigmatism? But the actual skills that are developed due to the processing of visual information relate more to our visual perception and our ocular motor skills.
Our visual perception is our brains understanding of what we see. It does not have anything specifically to do with how clear the image is, although that is affected by acuity and is why pediatricians screen at a very early age for acuity because all other visual skills are affected by acuity. Our brain understands by seeing out of two eyes the perception of depth, the size of objects, the shape of objects, being able to see in a cluttered visual field, using our vision to remember things both in single and in sequence, etc.
Just like any other muscle in our body, the muscles that attach to and move our eyes can be coordinated or uncoordinated. Interestingly, our eye muscles have the highest nerve to muscle fiber ratio of any muscle in our body…so if they are not working well or are uncoordinated, then often you will see it in a child’s behavior. Having your eye muscles ache is not usually a sensation that kids can describe but it is uncomfortable to have your eyes be overtired particularly in busy visual environments by looking at the world around you.