ABOUT VISION THERAPY
WHAT IS VISION THERAPY?
Vision therapy is a personalized treatment program that has been shown to be effective in treating many types of vision problems. Vision therapy sessions include procedures designed to enhance the brain-eye connection, which leads to improved control of eye alignment, eye tracking, eye teaming, eye focusing abilities, eye movements, and visual processing.
WHO WOULD BENEFIT?
Adults as well as children can benefit from vision therapy. Specifically, those who have eye coordination and eye movement disorders, such as lazy eye (amblyopia), eye turns (strabismus), and binocular vision disorders, that are making reading, learning, work, sports and other activities of daily life difficult to perform. There is no age limit to achieve success.
WHY VISION THERAPY?
Vision involves more than seeing the letters on the eye chart. There are more than seventeen different visual skills required for reading, learning, working, sports, and all activities of daily living. Seeing the letters on the eye chart is just one of those skills.
For vision problems that are not able to be treated using eyeglasses, contact lenses, or surgery alone, vision therapy is an effective drug-free treatment for both children and adults. In many cases, we are able to treat eye turns without surgery and lazy eye without patching.
Numerous studies have shown that Vision Therapy is effective for improving many vision conditions. There is voluminous published research that proves the effectiveness of vision therapy for improving reading and learning performance.
CAN VISION THERAPY HELP ME OR MY CHILD?
The following is a list of signs of a potential vision problem:
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Blinking excessively or rubbing your eyes
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Things look blurry/squinting to see
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Things look double
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Closing one eye often
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Getting headaches after doing schoolwork or reading
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Frustration or anxiety associated with school or work
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Words run together when reading
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Avoiding or disliking reading
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Trouble copying work from the board to paper
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Losing your place when reading
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Skipping or rereading words or lines
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Trouble hitting a ball or misjudging a serve
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A short attention span
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Anxiety associated with driving
Some people are confused because they have been told their/their child’s “vision is fine” or “no glasses are needed,” despite the fact that any of the above signs and symptoms are present. These are problems not easily identified during vision screenings and may not even be considered during a routine eye exam.
If any of these signs are present, please contact the office to schedule an appointment with Dr. Doucette.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
College of Vision Development (COVD) has a wealth of information on their website about vision therapy and its benefits.
VIDEOS
Overlooking our vision | Cameron McCrodan | TEDxVictoria
Curing learning-related vision problems | Dr. Vicky Vandervort | TEDxLincoln
The Hidden Link Between Vision and Learning with author Wendy Rosen
Credit: visionhelp.com
20/20 Isn't Everything - A Child's vision is critical to learning
TEDxPioneerValley - Sue Barry - Fixing My Gaze