Your vision is more than just how clearly you see letters on a chart. It’s also about how your brain understands and reacts to the world around you. This complex process allows you to perform tasks like navigating your environment, reading a book, and recognizing friendly faces.
This is where visual perceptual skills come into play. Your brain uses perceptual skills to interpret information that your eyes send it. These abilities are the bridge between simply seeing and truly understanding, and they play a large role in everything from reading to athletics, which is why our team offers services like sports vision therapy to hone them.
What Visual Perception Means for You & Your Family
Visual perceptual skills are your brain’s ability to make sense of what your eyes see. These skills are important for people of all ages, and they help with countless everyday tasks. When your perceptual skills work correctly, you don’t even notice them.
For children, perceptual skills are used to learn letters, read, and build with blocks, playing a crucial role in early visual development. For adults, they can help with driving a car, navigating a crowded grocery store, or organizing a workspace. Perceptual skills are fundamental to learning and daily function.
These skills allow you to quickly recognize objects, judge distances, and understand your surroundings. They’re a key part of how you and your family interact with the world every day.
The 7 Main Types of Visual Perceptual Skills
There are several types of visual perceptual skill.. Each one plays a different role in helping you process visual information efficiently. Let’s explore the seven main types.
Visual Discrimination
This skill helps you see the differences between similar objects or letters. It’s how you can tell apart a ‘b’ from a ‘d’. You also use it when finding a matching pair of socks in a drawer.
Visual Memory
Visual memory is your ability to recall something you saw a short time ago. This comes in handy for tasks like copying notes or images from a board.
Visual-Spatial Relations
This skill helps you understand where objects are in space. It tells you if something is over, under, to the left, or to the right of another object. It’s what helps you read a map or avoid bumping into furniture as you walk through a room. Issues with spatial relations can sometimes be linked to conditions like astigmatism that affect depth perception.
Visual Form Constancy
Form constancy allows you to know that an object is the same even if its size or orientation changes. You recognize a stop sign is a stop sign whether you see it up close or from far away. Your brain automatically makes this connection, saving you the mental effort.
Visual Sequential Memory
This is your ability to remember a series of items in the correct order. You use it when spelling words or remembering the steps in a sequence. This skill is also foundational for learning to read and do math.
Visual Figure-Ground
Figure-ground perception lets you find a specific object in a busy or cluttered background. You use this skill when you look for a friend in a crowd. You also use it to spot your car in a packed parking lot.
Visual Closure
This skill allows your brain to recognize an object, word, or picture even when part of it is hidden. For instance, it might help you read a sign that’s partially blocked by a tree. Your brain fills in the missing pieces to create a complete picture.
Signs of Poor Visual Perception
Sometimes, challenges with these skills can affect daily life, especially for children. It’s not just about how well you see—it’s about how well your brain processes that visual information. These difficulties can sometimes be mistaken for learning or attention issues.
Some common signs that you or a family member might be experiencing difficulty can include:
- Trouble with puzzles or sorting objects
- Frequently losing your place when reading
- Clumsy movements or challenges with tasks requiring hand-eye coordination
- Difficulty copying shapes or letters accurately
- Struggles to find things in a cluttered room or drawer
- Reverses letters or numbers when writing
How to Improve Perceptual Skills
The good news is that you can strengthen visual perceptual skills at any age. Practice and simple activities can help train the brain to process visual information more efficiently. These exercises, which form the basis of doctor-supervised vision therapy, can be both fun and beneficial.
Activities for Kids
Fun games and focused play can help a lot with skill development in children. Many activities that you already do at home can support these important skills.
- Jigsaw puzzles
- Memory or matching card games
- Hidden picture books & “I Spy”
- Build with blocks from a design
- Dot-to-dot worksheets
Activities for Adults & Seniors
It’s never too late to work on these skills and keep your mind sharp. Engaging hobbies can be a great way to exercise your visual processing abilities.
- Word searches or crossword puzzles
- Sudoku or other logic puzzles
- Paint, knit, or other hobbies that require hand-eye coordination
- Organize projects—like a pantry or toolbox
When a Comprehensive Eye Exam Can Help
While many activities can support visual perceptual development, persistent difficulties might benefit from a professional evaluation. A thorough eye exam looks at more than just eyesight. It assesses how your eyes and brain work together as a team.
If you have concerns for yourself or a family member, our team in Diamond Bar can perform tests to evaluate these visual skills and check for any underlying issues that may be affecting visual processing. From there, we can discuss options that may help, such as our various eye care services or other supportive strategies.
At Total Vision Diamond Bar, we tailor our care specifically for you and your family. We are committed to helping you understand all aspects of your vision. Schedule a visit with us today to explore how your visual system is performing.
