Influence of vision on the academic performance in university students

Introduction: The visual system plays a fundamental role in academic performance, especially in higher education settings where demands on visual skills are significant.This study explores the relationship between visual characteristics and academic performance in university students.Material and methods: The visual examination of 80 Hospitality Management students (17-30 years old) at the Higher Institute of Science and Education of Lisbon was conducted.Various vision parameters were assessed, including visual acuity, convergence, accommodation, and stereopsis.Results: The results indicated that specific visual parameters were correlated with academic performance, notably positive relative accommodation, which exhibited a significant positive correlation with access grades.A comparison of students with access grades below and above 14 revealed significant differences in the near point of convergence.Notably, excessive convergence and accommodative insufficiency were associated with lower academic performance.Conclusions: This study underscores the importance of binocular vision in academic success and suggests the need for routine vision examinations to identify and address visual anomalies that might impact learning.Further research is required to comprehensively understand how specific visual characteristics influence academic achievement in university students.