What is Vision Therapy

Vision is more than 20/20

Glasses and contacts may not always address vision problems. Some patients have 20/20 vision, but still have visual difficulties. They could lose their place or become fatigued easily when reading, or have poor coordination that causes them to bump into things, or get headaches when using the computer. This can lead to difficulties completing homework, and reduced efficiency at work.

Vision is our dominant sense when learning. When the eyes don’t track, team and focus efficiently, tasks that should be automatic become a chore.

There are many reasons our visual systems doesn’t develop properly. Vision therapy is a course of treatment that helps the patient learn to better integrate visual information with the rest of the body (eg. balance, motor coordination, hearing), so the visual system works efficiently.

Your vision therapy session

Beginning vision therapy is very much like beginning physical therapy. Vision therapy sessions are held weekly. Results are significant when the patient is diligent about attending their sessions and completing their homework.

During your sessions, you will be doing fun activities that are aimed at challenging and strengthening your vision. You may be asked to balance on a balance board while tracking letters on a chart in rhythm to a metronome, or focus through specialized lenses while solving a puzzle or game, or use specialized computer programs to work on your eye teaming. During your session, you will be given homework so you can continue to practice these activities before your next session.

The most successful patients are the ones who attend their sessions regularly and complete their homework. In those cases, the results have been dramatic, and keep me dedicated to this area of specialization.