It Could Be Your Eyes
Are you a parent who has been searching for answers to why your child is struggling academically? Have you been told that your child needs strabismus surgery or patching, and it just doesn’t feel right to you? Are you trying to set your kiddo with sensory needs up for success and feeling lost in the process? Have you suffered a brain injury or concussion and refuse to accept that these current limitations are your permanent “new normal”? My name is Dr. Juanita Collier and I am a Behavioral Optometrist with a private practice specializing in Vision Therapy, Rehabilitation, and Development. Through diving deep with my team, parents, patients, and professionals, we will uncover that vision may be the underlying cause of real life challenges in academics, work, sports, and daily life. While we often think 20/20 eyesight is perfect vision, vision actually takes place in the brain. And if there is any disconnect, any slight lack of coordination between the brain and the eyes, how you see what’s in front of you can be remarkably different than what’s actually there. Through this podcast, you will discover, that the challenges that you are facing may actually be stemming from a difficulty with how you’re seeing…It Could Be Your Eyes.
It Could Be Your Eyes
If Your Child Hates Reading, Start Here
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
If reading ends in tears, meltdowns, or “I hate this,” this episode reframes the conversation.
We unpack a common misunderstanding: reading struggles aren’t always about motivation, intelligence, dyslexia, or ADHD. Reading is first a visual task — and there’s a critical difference between eyesight (20/20 clarity) and vision (how efficiently the brain uses the eyes).
You’ll learn:
- How visual inefficiencies can mimic ADHD
- Why some children labeled dyslexic may also have undetected visual challenges
- The signs of tracking, focusing, and eye teaming issues
- What to look for at home
- When to seek a comprehensive visual evaluation
(00:04) Intro
(00:37) When Your Child Hates Reading
(01:08) It’s Not Laziness or Lack of Motivation
(02:30) What Should Parents Do First?
(02:55) Dyslexia: Diagnosis & Misconceptions
(04:29) Why a Behavioral Optometry Exam Comes First
(05:02) 20/20 Eyesight vs. True Vision
(06:00) Tracking, Focus & Why Reading Feels So Hard
(07:34) ADHD vs. Vision Problems
(08:42) Can Kids Have Multiple Issues?
(09:30) Compensating vs. Fixing the Root Cause
(10:43) Dr. Collier’s Personal Story with Double Vision
(12:06) Punishment vs. Understanding the Struggle
(13:29) Tapping Into What Your Child Loves
(14:00) When Kids Decide “I’m Not a Reader”
(16:20) Catching Vision Issues Early
(18:45) Building Perseverance the Right Way
(19:02) Tracking Progress & Celebrating Wins
(20:33) Where to Start If Your Child Is Struggling
(21:22) Finding a Behavioral Optometrist
(21:46) 4D Built to Read Program
(22:01) Outro
If your child avoids reading, it may not be defiance — it may be discomfort. It could be their eyes! Start with understanding.