He noticed children were “becoming totally frustrated while trying to read.”
Dr. Joel N. Zaba recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern College of Optometry for his research into learning-related visual problems.
The Virginian-Pilot reports that in his practice, Zaba “noticed that problems with what he calls teaming, tracking and focusing abilities in children were going unnoticed in regular vision screenings.”
“Children were having trouble with close-up work,” he said, according to the Virginian-Pilot. “These kids were likely using their finger to keep track of their place while reading, missing words or becoming totally frustrated while trying to read.”
According to the Southern College of Optometry, Zaba has lectured internationally and published extensively on his research focusing on the relationship between children, vision and learning. His career includes four decades of private practice in Virginia.
In 2015, he received the Virginia Optometric Association’s 2015 Distinguished Achievement Award in recognition of his commitment and service to optometry and the visual welfare of the public, including his service chairing the VOA’s Committee on Learning Disabilities and 13 years as a vision consultant to the Norfolk, VA, public school system.
Read more at the Virginian-Pilot