VISION THERAPY, and how it works!

Vision Therapy or Visual Training is the art and science of developing, improving and enhancing visual skills, perception and performance. It combines optometric training with behavior modification through biofeedback design. This combination allows an individual to become aware of his or her visual difficulty, control it, and ultimately reintegrate that control into effortless function. Simply put, visual therapy utilizes remedial procedures to modify and improve the way eyes and their link to the brain perform. While the activities may seem simple, they are designed to correct what can be 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 Justin and Jaime have 20/20 vision. But the total picture is incomplete. What the eye chart assesses is "sight acuity", NOT VISION.

There are two sets of eye 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 function without coordination or rather, independently, symptoms of eye strain or avoidance behavior result.
Classic symptoms include:

Eye rubbing
Headaches
Squinting
Double vision
Closing one eye while reading or writing
Missing or substituting words while reading
Difficulty finishing homework
Not reading AT ALL

For some, the solution is to simply avoid reading altogether, which solves nothing. Difficulty internalizing visual information can involve deficiency in the areas of fixation, following, focus and fusion.
FIXATION - The eyes must be able to stop their movement and fix on an object. Children who can't do this are easily distracted and usually have a short attention span. This condition may contribute to and/or be blamed on HYPERACTIVE type behavior.

FOLLOWING - The eyes need to move freely, but together (left, right, up and down). The ability to track and sequence information develops from this skill.

FOCUS - The eyes must maintain a clear focus, not only on a chart across the room, but also on a near target. Individuals unable to do this spend additional energy simply trying to see the print in front of them. Imagine trying to read with eyes that function like a broken movie projector! Another problem people face is the need to change focus quickly. Can they see a blackboard assignment, switch to desk work, and back again?

FUSION - A person must take signals from each eye and fuse them together to create a three-dimensional image. This skill is necessary for good depth perception. Does your child have an unusual fear of height or do they not fear heights at times that they should? In addition, two eyes simultaneously looking at the same place at the same time not only tells us where the object is but where we are in relation to the object we are looking at, our body and position in space. Knowing where we are gives us a sense of who we are in that context.

Once visual information has been received, its organization and integration is dependent on perceptual skills which have developed over time. These skills include Body Awareness, laterality, Bilaterally, Directionality, Form Reproduction and Spatial Organization.

BODY AWARENESS - The ability to sense one's body mediated by nervous elements in muscles, tendons, and joints and stimulated by bodily movements and tensions. The sensory experience derived from this source is KINESTHETICS. Children who have a lack of awareness of their body will experience postural and/or tonal dysfunction.

LATERALITY - The ability to maintain efficient use of each side of the body independent of the other. This ability is the prelude to crossing the mid-line.

BILATERALITY - The ability to maintain efficient, integrative and symmetrical body posture. Eye coordination and symmetrical movement are related to this skill.

DIRECTIONALITY - The ability to recognize left from right, up from down. The child with poor directionality is likely to reverse letters and numbers when reading and/or writing.

FORM REPRODUCTION - The ability to receive and reproduce form. A child, for example, must be able to recognize symbols (A, B, C, etc.) in order to make sense of them.

SPATIAL ORGANIZATION - The ability to be aware of the relationship with one's position in space. Lack of this ability may result in clumsy and disorganized motor skills. Children will often result in active behavior.

A VISION THERAPY program utilizes a series of sequenced activities and techniques designed for the patient to become increasingly aware of their visual function so that remediation and/or alternate strategies can be elected. A program typically consists of a minimum of 40, 1/2 hour sessions interposed with reevaluations every 8 to 10 visits.

When problems are discovered early, before academic lags and secondary frustrations set in, the procedure is relatively simple. The longer the condition exists, the greater the opportunity for emotional and behavioral dysfunction to develop, creating the failure syndrome.

Knowledge of Optometric Vision Therapy and its link to academic success and performance enhancement completes the total picture of a child's sight in vision.