Vision Therapy

Optometric Vision Therapy is a treatment plan used to correct or improve specific dysfunctions of the visual system. It includes, but is not limited to, the treatment of strabismus, amblyopia, accommodation, ocular motor function, visual-perceptual and visual-motor abilities.

What does vision therapy do?

Optometric Vision Therapy works on the development of visual skills, some of which include:

1. The ability to follow a moving object smoothly, accurately, and effortlessly with both eyes and at the same time think, talk, read, or listen without losing alignment of the eyes. This pursuit ability is used to follow a ball or a person, to guide a pencil while writing, to read symbols on moving objects, etc.

2. The ability to aim the eyes on a series of stationary objects quickly, with both eyes, and at the same time know what each object is. This is a skill used to read words from left to right, add columns of numbers, read maps, etc.

3. The ability to change focus quickly, without blur, from far to near and from near to far, over and over, effortlessly and at the same time look for meaning and obtain understanding from the symbols or objects seen. This ability is used to copy from the chalkboard, to watch the road ahead and check the speedometer, to read a book or watch TV from across the room, etc.

4. The ability to team two eyes together. This skill should work so well that no interference exists between the two eyes that can result in having to suppress or mentally block information from one eye or the other. This shutting off of information to one eye lowers understanding and speed, increases fatigue and distractibility, and shortens attention span. Proper teaming permits vision to emerge and learning to occur.

5. The ability to see over a large area (in the periphery) while pointing the eyes straight ahead. For safety, self-confidence and rapid reading, a person needs to see “the big picture”. This skill aids the ability to know easily where they are on a page while reading and to take in large amounts of information, (i.e., a large number of words) per look.

6. The ability to see and know (recognize) in a short look. Efficient vision is dependent on the ability to see rapidly, to see and know an object, people or words in a very small fraction of a second. The less time required to see, the faster the reading and thinking.
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7. The ability to see in depth. A child should be able to throw a bean bag into a hat 10 feet away, to judge the visual distance and control the arm movements needed. An adult needs to see and judge how far it is to the curb, make accurate decisions about the speed and distances of other cars to be safe.

Click here for: College of Vision Development Video

I. Vision is Learned

• Vision Therapy is a process of teaching the patient to see properly.
• They must always be consciously aware that they are doing the learning.
• A visual problem is not a disease; therefore, there is not a cure for the problem. There is only guidance for the patient in the proper direction of learning. The patient must be the learner

II. The responsibility or the success of a case is the patient’s, not ours.

• The prescribed time must be spent, and a conscientious effort to experience the activities as instructed, must be made by the patient.
• It is the patient’s responsibility to see that the home therapy is done when it is time to do therapy. A reminder may be needed. It is helpful if a consistent time is chosen.
• When therapy is done, there are no “wrong” answers to the questions. When there is a particular way an exercise should be looked at, it will be explained, and the desired discovery will be defined during the discussion. The awareness of the way an object looks, at a particular time, is important in developing visual ability. The ability to communicate what is seen is also very important.

III. The most important factors for learning are:

• Motivation
• Practice effect. A schedule must be strictly adhered to. Lack of adequate practice will effect or hinder progress.

IV. It is important to remember that the activities prescribed may produce stress. We are asking a patient to do some things that they can not already do easily. Constant praise and encouragement will help lessen the feeling of negative stress and produce faster results. Emphasize the work accomplished, rather than errors.
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V. Home training procedures are best done without an audience, especially siblings. Each procedure should be read carefully and then tried by the caregiver. If that caregiver is unsuccessful, someone else should be asked to try. The more successful caregiver should then be responsible for that procedure.