Keeping your eyes healthy and your vision sharp is critical. As you age, vision problems are more likely to rise which is why it is essential you seek vision therapy. While vision therapy is often provided to growing children, it is also highly effective for adults.
What Is Vision Therapy?
Vision therapy is a targeted and customized program that addresses the individual vision weaknesses of adults and children. Using a series of precise eye exercise protocols, patients enhance their visual skills by assisting the brain in communicating with the eyes more efficiently.
It is like a workout for your brain! Vision therapy is often used in conjunction with other modalities of treatment, including eyeglasses and vision correction surgery.
Vision therapy is conducted in a series of sessions that are supervised by a doctor and last between 30-45 minutes. In addition to the in-office therapy, patients receive instructions for at-home exercises that provide reinforcement to the treatment approach.
What Are the Benefits of Vision Therapy?
The benefits of vision therapy are astounding. While therapy is most effective when started early in life, this treatment can be used to improve vision at any age.
- Vision therapy helps both eyes work in conjunction with one another for better vision.
- This therapy improves vision accuracy.
- Vision therapy improves the way the brain interacts with the eyes.
- These exercises promote efficiency in eye focus.
- Those who go through therapy also see improvements in academics and their job ability.
- Vision therapy offers patients a better quality of life.
With so many benefits to this treatment, it is no wonder vision therapy is becoming increasingly popular. Those who are interested in this therapy should contact us to schedule a consultation appointment.
What Does Vision Therapy Treat?
Vision therapy can be used to treat a wide array of eye conditions affecting vision. Consider the following.
- Strabismus (Eye Turning)
- Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)
- Saccadic Dysfunction (Insufficient Eye Tracking)
- Traumatic Brain Injury (Concussions and Other Brain Injuries)
- Eye Strain
- Convergence Insufficiency (Eye Teaming)
- Double Vision
- Hand-Eye Coordination Deficiency
- Eye Tracking Deficiency
- Depth Perception Deficiency
- Convergence Insufficiency
- Visual Perception/Processing Issues
Vision therapy can also be used to treat other conditions and even improve a person’s vision acuity. The aim of this therapy is to enhance a person’s visual skills, which include eye tracking, eye-hand coordination, visual processing speed, focusing, convergence, and much more.
How Does Vision Therapy Work?
Vision therapy is approached in multiple ways, depending on the reasons for treatment and the age of the patient. Therapy involves the use of fun and engaging activities with prisms, occluders, filters, lenses, and other tools.
As technology has advanced, vision therapy has utilized computer programs that offer a higher level of engagement with interactive training. Patients can even continue their therapy at home, further increasing the benefits.
What Happens During the First Vision Therapy Session?
Vision therapy can help your eyes work more intuitively so you may not need to wear glasses or seek vision surgery, though results vary. At the first vision therapy appointment, the doctor will perform testing to determine how well the patient’s brain and eyes work together.
The doctor will also perform testing to check for any disorders of the eye. The goal of performing these tests is to use the gathered data to create a personalized treatment plan to address any problems and improve the way the patient’s brain and eyes work together.
Vision therapy sessions will normally last between 30-45 minutes, though you can expect the first appointment to take longer because of the testing involved. It is essential to follow all instructions for exercises at home. Home exercises will further improve your eyesight between therapy sessions.
Do You Need Vision Therapy?
If you think you need vision therapy, here is a website of eye doctors and optometrists that can help- topeyedoctorsnearme.com. In most cases, an eye doctor will recommend a patient go through vision therapy if they notice certain eye conditions while conducting an exam. If you notice any of the following symptoms, you should consider asking your eye doctor about vision therapy.
- Losing your place while reading
- Words and letters jump around on the page while reading
- Vision fluctuations
- Frequent eye strain and fatigue
- Blurry vision when looking at a distance
- Re-reading lines and losing concentration
- Frequent headaches when reading or focusing on screens
Does Vision Therapy Work?
Many people have discovered vision therapy is highly beneficial. Patients have discovered vision therapy helps them with eye teaming, visual processing, visual tracking, and eye movements, among others. Some people have even been able to avoid wearing glasses.
It is important to note that everyone is different. The benefits you experience will vary according to your condition and your adherence to sessions and exercises at home.
Schedule An Appointment to Learn More
To learn how vision therapy can help your eyes, call us today to schedule an appointment. With a full examination, you can learn if this therapy will benefit your eye and brain function.