Vision Therapy

Some visual conditions cannot be treated adequately with just glasses, contact lenses and/or patching, and are best resolved through a program of Vision Therapy. Our evaluations determine the patient's visual and motor skill level. Vision Therapy is then programmed to meet specific needs for development of proper visual, perceptual and motor abilities. We place great value in offering vision therapy to those requiring assistance with visual and visual motor skills.

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• What is Vision Therapy?
• Signs & Symptoms
• Who Benefits from Vision Therapy?
• VT Questions & Answers
• Success Stories
• Vision Therapy Resources

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What is Vision Therapy?

Vision Therapy is an individualized, supervised, treatment program designed to correct visual-motor and/or perceptual-cognitive deficiencies. Vision Therapy sessions include procedures designed to enhance the brain's ability to control:

• Eye alignment
• Eye tracking and eye teaming
• Eye focusing abilities
• Eye movements
• Visual processing

Visual-motor skills and endurance are developed through the use of specialized computer and optical devices, including therapeutic lenses, prisms, and filters. During the final stages of therapy, the patient's newly acquired visual skills are reinforced and made automatic through repetition and by integration with motor and cognitive skills.

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Who Benefits from Vision Therapy?

Children and adults with visual challenges, such as:

• Learning-related Vision Problems
  Vision Therapy can help those individuals who lack the necessary visual skills for effective reading, writing, and learning (i.e. eye movement and focusing skills, convergence, eye-hand activity, visual memory skills, etc.)
  
  To learn more about learning-related vision problems, visit any of these web pages on:
  
  • 20-20 Eyesight and 20/20 Eye Screenings - Not Perfect for Learning and School!
    
    
  • All About Learning Related Vision Problems
    
    
  • Learning Related Vision Problems and Attention Deficit Disorders (ADD/ADHD), Dyslexia, and Learning Disabilities (LDs)
    
    
  • Eyesight & Vision: Vision Therapy Helps Students with Reading Problems or Reading Below Grade Level, Handwriting, Homework, Spelling, and Math, etc.
    
    
  • Eyesight & Vision: Vision Therapy Helps Students Who've Been Labeled Attention Deficit (ADHD), Slow Learners, Lazy Students, Behavior Problems, Special Education, Gifted Learning Disabled, etc.
    
    
  • Vision Therapy as Treatment for Learning Disabilities.
    
    

• Poor Binocular (two-eyed) Coordination
  Vision Therapy helps individuals develop normal coordination and teamwork of the two eyes (binocular vision). When the two eyes fail to work together as an effective team, performance in many areas can suffer (reading, sports, depth perception, eye contact, etc.)
  
  To learn more about binocular (two-eyed) vision, visit any of these web pages on:
  
  • What is Binocular Vision?
    
  • What is Depth Perception and Stereo Vision?
    
  • Adults and Children Gain Binocular Vision and 3D Depth Perception
  • Adults and Children Improve Eye Tracking and Eye Teaming
  • The Eye Hop - Explore Your Binocular Vision
    
  • The Framing Game - A Binocular Vision Test
    
  • What is Seeing Double or Double Vision?
    
    

• Convergence Insufficiency (common near vision disorder)
  Recent scientific research – funded by the National Eye Institute and conducted at multiple centers including the Mayo Clinic – has proven that in-office Vision Therapy is the best treatment for Convergence Insufficiency.
  
  To learn all about Convergence Insufficiency, go to:
  
  • What is Convergence Insufficiency Disorder?
  • What is Intermittent Exotropia caused by Convergence Insufficiency?

• Amblyopia (lazy eye), Diplopia (double vision), and Strabismus (cross-eyed, wandering eye, eye turns, etc.)
  Vision therapy yields high success rates with a cosmetic and a functional cure for patients with an eye turn and/or amblyopia(lazy eye). The earlier the patient receives Vision Therapy the better, however, our office successfully treats patients well past 21 years of age.

Recent scientific research has disproven the long held belief that children with lazy eye, or amblyopia, can’t be helped after age 7.

To learn more about crossed eyes, eye turns, or lazy eye, visit these web pages on:

• About Eye Turns: Constant (Always) or Intermittent (Sometimes, Occasionally)
• Amblyopia, Lazy Eye, and Strabismus - Not All The Same!
• Children's Vision: Amblyopia (Lazy Eye), Strabismus (Crossed Eyes, Cross-eyed, Wall-eyed, Intermittent Exotropia, Hypertropia, Esotropia, etc.), Exophoria...
• Eye Muscle Surgery: Treatment for Strabismus, Lazy Eye, Intermittent Exotropia, etc.
• What is Amblyopia or Lazy Eye?
• What is Convergence Insufficiency Disorder, Intermittent Exotropia, Exophoria?
• What is Seeing Double or Double Vision?
• Vision Therapy Eye Exercises as Treatment for Amblyopia (Lazy Eye), Strabismus (Crossed eyes), Convergence Insufficiency Disorder, etc.
  
  


• Stress-related Visual Problems - Blurred Vision, Visual Stress from Reading and Computers, Eye Strain Headaches, and/or Vision-induced Stomachaches or Motion Sickness
  21st century life demands more from our vision than ever before. Many children and adults constantly use their near vision at school, work and home. Environmental stresses on the visual system (including excessive computer use or close work) can induce blurred vision, eyestrain, headaches, etc.
  
  To learn about these visual problems and vision therapy, see:
  
  • What is a Common Near Vision Problem and the Leading Cause of Eyestrain, Blurred Vision, Double Vision, and/or Headaches?
  • Told They Had 20/20, but Still Had Problems...
  • Eye Exercises for Blurred Vision, Blurry Eyesight (Reading and Computer Work)
  • Dizziness, Motion Sickness, Eye Strain, Stomachaches, Double Vision...
  • Eye Exercises for Eye Strain, Eye Fatigue (Computer Work and Reading)
  • Relief from Frequent or Chronic Headaches, Visual Stress, Eyestrain, and/or Stomachaches during or after Reading, School or Office Work.
    
    


• Visual Rehabilitation for Special Needs - Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Stroke, Birth Injury, Brain Damage, Head Injury, Whiplash, Cerebral Palsy, MS, etc.
  Vision can be compromised as a result of neurological disorders or trauma to the nervous system. Vision Therapy can effectively treat the visual consequences of brain trauma (including double vision).
  
  To learn more about visual rehabilitation with vision therapy, see:
  
  • Visual Rehabilitation following Brain Damage, Birth Injury, Head Injury, Stroke, Acquired Brain Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), etc.
  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Blurred Vision, Reading Problems, Double Vision, Eye Pain, Headaches with Reading, Visual Field Loss...
  • Brain Injury Rehabilitation - Success Stories with Vision Therapy.
  
  

• Visual Rehabilitation for Special Needs - Developmental Delays, Visual Perceptual Visual-Motor Deficits, Attention Deficit Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorders
  
  To learn more about vision therapy as it relates to developmental delays or disorders, see:
  
  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD): Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatments
  • Autism Spectrum Disorders: Eye Examinations, Eyesight, Vision Therapy
  • Vision Therapy for Visual Perceptual Visual-Motor Deficits
  • Article: Diagnosis of Non-Verbal Learning Disorder (NLD), Hidden Disability.
    

• Sports Vision Improvement
  Strong visual skills are critical to sports success. Not much happens in sports until your eyes instruct your hands and body as to what to do! We can measure and successfully improve eye-hand coordination, visual reaction time, peripheral vision, eye focusing, eye tracking and teaming, visualization skills, and more. Find out how children and adults improve coordination and sports ability through Vision Therapy.

Vision Therapy can be the answer to many visual problems. Don't hesitate to contact our office with your questions.

To read definitions of Vision Therapy by outside sources, see What is Vision Therapy? and/or Vision Therapy? Self-help Eye Exercises?. To browse through hundreds of stories by parents, teachers, adults and children, go to a national of catalog of Vision Therapy Success Stories.

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Vision Therapy Resources

• Resources for Convergence Insufficiency diagnosis available
  The 2008 Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial clearly supports the superiority of office-based vision therapy to home-based vision therapy alone for convergence insufficiency. As noted in the AOA's Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) on Care of the Patient with Accommodative and Vergence Dysfunction, home-based vision therapy may be less effective than in-office therapy because no therapist is available to correct inappropriate procedures or to motivate the patient. The preferred clinical management therefore consists of in-office vision therapy supplemented with home therapy.
  
  Sample procedures include loose prism jumps, eccentric circles and life savers. References:
  • http://aoa.org/documents/CPG-18.pdf
  • http://aoa.org/documents/QRG-18.pdf
  For more information, visit http://www.aoa.org/CI-Therapy.xml

• Neuroplasticity: Teaching An Old Brain New Tricks
  Research shows that adults do, in fact, exhibit neuroplasticity. You can use this innate ability to treat a variety of visual system disorders.
  By Dominick M. Maino, O.D., M.Ed.
  
  Goal Statement: Because an adult brain can change, end organs, such as the eye, can be cortically altered, show improvement after insult and injury, and be remediated and enhanced. This paper provides an overview of neuroplasticity and demonstrates how optometrists can take advantage of this innate ability in adult patients.

Click here to read the article

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