What is vision therapy

Please read this important update regarding our practice in response to Coronavirus. Vision Therapy is a behavioral approach to correcting various eye problems that affect one's ability to receive and process visual information. The areas most often affected are focusing, eye teaming, eye movements and visual processing. Vision Therapy is an individualized treatment program designed to improve and sometimes eliminate conditions such as lazy eye amblyopia , crossed eyes strabismus , focusing insufficiency and excess, ocular muscle dysfunction, and learning-related vision disorders.

Specialized lenses, filters, prisms and instruments are used in a training program, which is customized for each patient.

Amblyopia is an eye problem that causes poor vision and is most often diagnosed in children. The problem occurs when the connections between the eye and the brain do not develop properly. These connections are like roads - they carry vision information from the eyes to the parts of the brain that enable us to see.

If these roads between the eyes and the brain do not get made, amblyopia occurs. These connections are made when children are young. Amblyopia is also called "lazy eye" in layman's terms. There are several causes of amblyopia which cannot be detected without a comprehensive eye exam. Strabismic amblyopia occurs when strabismus eye turn is present and the eyes are not working together.

If the brain paid attention to both eyes in someone who had strabismus, the person would see everything double. Both eyes need to work together and point straight ahead in order for the brain and person to see things normally. In order not to see double, the brain favors the eye that doesn't turn. Since the brain isn't paying attention to the eye that turns, the connections to the brain from that eye do not develop properly.

Refractive amblyopia refers to the condition when the eyes have an unequal "refractive power" or glasses prescription. One eye may be nearsighted and the other may be farsighted, or the amount of nearsightedness or farsightedness in each eye may be very different. Because the brain cannot "balance" this difference in prescription between the eyes, it picks the eye that is "easier" to see with and develops a preference to use this eye only.

The same problem then occurs as with strabismic amblyopia: the proper connections between the "bad" eye and the brain do not get made. Other causes of amblyopia include: congenital cataracts, eye tumors, ptosis drooping eyelid and eye trauma.

Strabismus, more commonly known as crossed-eyes, is a vision condition in which a person cannot align both eyes simultaneously under normal conditions.

One or both of the eyes may turn in, out, up or down. An eye turn may be constant when the eye turns all of the time or intermittent turning only some of the time, such as, under stressful situations or when ill.

Whether constant or intermittent, strabismus always requires appropriate evaluation and treatment. Vision is a dynamic function and in order to see properly we have to change the focus of our eyes every time we look from one object to another. Most people are not even aware that we have to focus our eyes. This is because in most people the focusing system of the eye operates so well that objects always appear in focus.

In reality, a focusing adjustment is made every time we look from one place to another. This adjustment is made with the help of a muscle in the eye called the ciliary muscle or the focusing muscle. When a child looks from the board to his desk, for instance, he must constrict or contract this muscle, which changes the shape of the lens in the eye and allows the child to see the print in his book clearly.

When the child wants to look back to the board he must now relax the focusing muscle, which permits clear vision at a distance. A focusing problem occurs when the child is unable to quickly and accurately constrict or relax the focusing muscle, or if the child is unable to maintain this muscle contraction for adequate periods of time.

We have two eyes and in order to see properly we have to use our two eyes together in a very precise and coordinated fashion. Every time we look at something we must accurately aim the two eyes directly at the object of concern.

Orthoptics primarily addresses the oculomotor components of binocular vision in both strabismic and non-strabismic disorders. Vision therapy addresses a wider range of visual deficits and includes rehabilitative therapies that help patients develop or improve a wide variety of visual skills including oculomotor dysfunction, eye coordination disorders, accommodative anomalies, strabismus, and amblyopia.

Visual rehabilitation techniques utilized in common by orthoptists and vision therapists are numerous and include patching therapy, oculomotor exercises, anti-suppression therapy, accommodation therapy, and vergence therapy, among others. Visual skills which can be developed and enhanced through Optometric Vision Therapy include:.

Unfortunately, school screenings or visits with the pediatrician, are not comprehensive enough to identify most of these issues. Typically, those screenings are merely looking at the anatomic structure of the eye checking for disease and acuity the ability to see clearly at a certain distance. They may overlook critical problems that are hard to identify if the focus is only on anatomy and acuity.

It was written by professional writers and then reviewed and edited for medical accuracy by the Developmental Optometrists at The Vision Therapy Center. The Vision Therapy Center, Inc. Make an Appointment Make a Payment Locations What is Vision Therapy? Definition of Vision Therapy Dr. Who needs Vision Therapy?

Patients who require vision therapy generally have the following visual challenges: Learning related visual problems: Conditions such as poor eye teaming, focusing, tracking and visualization skills can all negatively affect learning. Stress-induced vision problems: Our high-tech society requires many people to do a large volume of near work in front of a computer screen.

Because of this, there is an increasing number of patients that experience eyestrain, headaches and other visual related difficulties. With successful treatment, our patients may find that: Learning becomes easier Reading level and speed increases Time spent on homework decreases The ability to follow moving objects a ball, a car improves Seeing objects nearby or at a distance improves Visualizing mental images becomes easier The rate at which patients experience these improvements will vary, but generally progress is seen early in the therapy program.

Amblyopia Lazy Eye There are many conditions, such as crossed eye, nearsightedness or farsightedness, that can lead to the development of amblyopia, commonly referred to as lazy eye.

Convergence The turning in of the two eyes when one looks from far to near. Hyperopia Farsightedness A visual condition in which distant objects are usually seen clearly, but near objects do not come into proper focus.

Learning-related Vision Problems Vision disorders that interfere with reading and learning. Optician A licensed technician who makes and dispenses eyeglasses according to prescriptions from optometrists and ophthalmologists. Snellen chart A chart imprinted with rows of black letters, with the letters graduating in size from smallest on the bottom row to the largest on the top row. Do you think you or someone you know may be suffering from a Functional Vision Problem?

Take the Vision Quiz to see if you have the common symptoms. Guide to Vision Therapy Vision therapy is an evidence-based program to treat visual problems including lazy eye, eye turns and binocular vision problems. Vision therapy is a customized and personalized treatment program provided by optometrists with post-graduate training and years of experience Learn More Guide to Vision Therapy for Adults Vision therapy can be more effective for adult patients, as they are typically more motivated in therapy.

Vision therapy can alleviate eyestrain and headaches caused by long hours at the office, this leads to improved workplace production and less stress Learn More Guide to Vision and Learning Difficulties Approximately 80 percent of all learning comes through the eyes and visual pathways.

Any interference in the visual pathways can inhibit a child from performing to their maximum potential.