Vision Therapy
When most people think of good vision, they think of seeing clearly-- that is having 20/20 vision. While seeing clearly is important, it is only one aspect of vision.
Having good vision involves much more than seeing 20/20. Being a good reader, a good driver, or a good athlete requires mastering a complex set of vision skills, such as eye tracking, eye teaming, visual perception and visual memory. Unfortunately, many children and adults have problems with these types of visual skills. Although they may see 20/20, they do not have good vision. They may have trouble reading or working on a computer. They may have difficulty driving or excelling in sports.
It is estimated that as many as 20% of people may suffer from these types of problems. Please click here to see if you may have a treatable vision problem that is interfering with your work, reading or sports performance.
The good news is that highly effective treatment for these types of problems is available. Vision Therapy (VT) is a type of physical therapy that is used to improve eye muscle control and coordination. VT also treats visual processing, or visual perceptual problems. Vision Therapy uses neuroplasticity to retrain your brain and eyes to function better.
Vision Therapy - Vision Processing Problems - Sports Vision - Strabismus - Head Trama
Here are the most frequently asked questions about VT:
1. How do I know that I may need VT?
A: There are many symptoms that indicate a need for VT. Some of the more common symptoms are: eyestrain associated with reading or computer use, double vision, print that appears to "move" on the page, losing your place while reading.
Special tests will determine if your specific vision problems can be treated with VT.
2. What is involved with Vision Therapy?
A: A Vision Therapy program incorporates many different exercises that train deficient visual skills. Learning visual skills is like learning to play the piano, or a new sport. VT exercises are performed in our office under the supervision of a Vision Therapist. Home therapy is also prescribed by Dr. Brisco to reinforce and accelerate the development of newly learned skills.
The length of the VT program depends on the nature and severity of your vision problem.
3. What results can I expect?
A:You can expect your vision to improve significantly or completely if you stick to the program as prescribed by the doctor. The amount of your improvement depends on the type of vision problem(s) you have, how well you follow doctor's orders, and how regularly you practice your vision exercises.
4. Will my insurance cover Vision Therapy?
A: Some insurance plans cover VT, but it depends on your particular insurance coverage. Our office will be happy to help you determine your insurance coverage.
5. What kind of vision problems can be treated with Vision Therapy?
VT can treat a variety of vision problems including:
Medical Visual Dysfunctions
strabismus (eye turn), amblyopia (lazy eye), oculomotor dysfunction, focusing problems, double vision, convergence insufficiency or excess
Visually-Related Learning Problems
Visual motor or visual perceptual problems can interfere with the input and processing of visual information. This decreases a student's performance on reading and writing tasks which are highly dependent on visual skills (see symptom checklist below).
Visual motor problems can occur in these skills: tracking, eye teaming, or focusing.
Visual perceptual delays can occur in: visual-motor integration, visual memory or sequential memory, visual discrimination, visual figure ground, visual form constancy, or speed of visual processing.
Enhancement of Sports Performance
VT can be used to improve athletic performance through increasing speed of visual reaction time, depth perception, tracking speed (to follow a quick target), or increasing the span of recognition.
Enhancing Executive Performance
VT can be used to improve work productivity by increasing visual stamina, decreasing symptoms such as eyestrain or headaches associated with desk or computer work, improving speed of scanning and reading.
For more information, and a symptoms checklist to determine if we can help make you more productive and comfortable while working at your desk or computer, please refer to the Computer Vision section of our website.
Brain Injury Rehabilitation
Visual skills, and activities dependent on visual skills (such as walking and driving) are often impaired after brain injury resulting from stroke, trauma, tumors, etc. VT can be used to retrain affected visual skills.
Symptoms of brain injury-related visual impairment include double vision, poor judgment of distance while driving or reaching for objects, loss of side vision, frequent loss of place while reading, skipping words, sensitivity to light, vertigo, fluctuating vision, bumping into objects, decreased depth perception, leaning to one side, and eyestrain.
Please refer to the section on Brain Injuries for more information.
6. Can Adults benefit from VT?
A: Vision Therapy can benefit adults also. Vision problems that were not corrected during childhood, often persist through adulthood, interfering with efficiency and productivity on visual tasks. The majority of vision problems are treatable at any age, but it is better to catch problems early to maximize your potential during your academic and executive career.
7. Can I Benefit from VT?
A: If you have 2 or more of the following symptoms, you can benefit from VT. It takes energy to compensate for a vision problem, which results in discomfort and loss of productivity. Improving your visual skills can improve your academic, athletic and executive performance.
My eyes feel tired or uncomfortable while reading
Headaches while reading or studying
Reading or computer use makes me sleepy
I have difficulty remembering what I have read
Frequent loss of concentration while reading
Words move, jump, or appear to "swim"
Double vision
I am a slow reader
"Pulling" sensation around eyes while reading
Words blur, or go in and out of focus
I often lose my place, or jump over letters & words
I often re-read the same line over and over
I do not like to read for pleasure
I have a short attention span while reading compared to other activities
I have poor eye-hand coordination while playing sports
I have poor depth perception
I learn better visually than verbally