Vision Therapy develops, improves and enhances visual skills, perception and performance. It combines optometric training with behavior modification to retrain the connection between the eyes and the brain. While activities oftentimes seem simple, they are designed to correct a complicated series of vision problems. Parents are delighted when their children read the eye chart with clarity, and are pleased and relieved to learn that their child has 20/20 vision. However, the total picture is incomplete. What the eye chart assesses is “sight acuity”, NOT VISION!
There are two sets of muscles that comprise the entry point of sight into vision. One muscle system controls focus for clarity and the other controls the function of seeing single, not double. When these two muscle systems do not function together, symptoms of eye strain or avoidance behavior result.
Many individuals can benefit from vision therapy. A comprehensive exam at Eagle Eye Vision Care LLC can determine an individual’s visual skill level. Vision therapy can help many, from individuals with severe vision-related learning disabilities, those struggling with reading and learning, double vision or eye strain associated with traumatic brain injury, to the elite athlete wishing to step up their game. These individuals generally have deficiencies in one or several of the following:
Eye movement skills-How smoothly and accurately one can move their eyes in unison across a printed page in a textbook.
Eye focusing abilities- How well one can change focus from far to near and back again (for copying information from the board, as an example) and sustain clarity of vision for prolonged near work and reading.
Eye teaming skills- How well an individual’s eyes work together as a synchronized team in sending a single stable image to the brain for processing.
Binocular vision skills- Ability of one’s eyes to blend visual images from both eyes into a single, three-dimensional image.
Visual perceptual skills- Developed process by which one can identify and understand what they see, judge its importance and associate it with previous visual information stored in their brain.
Visual-motor integration- The quality of an individual’s eye-hand coordination, which is important not only for sports but also for legible handwriting and the ability to efficiently copy written information from a book or chalkboard.
The Vision Therapy program at Eagle Eye Vision Care consists of Doctor directed one-on-one in clinic weekly sessions with a highly trained vision therapist and prescribed home visual exercises. Regular progress evaluations monitor progress and modify treatment as needed. The Eagle Eye Vision Care vision therapy program retrains the neuro-muscular coordination of the eyes and stimulates neuro-pathways and processing to enhance comfort and performance. Individuals learn how to develop their deficient visual skills and integrate them with other systems so they are efficient and automatic. The objective is to meet the patient’s needs, abate all signs and symptoms, achieve full potential and improve the patient’s quality of life.
For more information on how you may benefit from Vision Therapy, contact us today!