A major issue facing patients and behavioral optometrists is the lack of knowledge of what vision therapy is and how it can help. The truth is, many people and even other eye doctors have never heard of it and know next to nothing about what it entails. One of the biggest challenges with vision therapy is bringing it to the public's attention. Despite the best efforts of the profession of optometry in general and more specifically professional organizations such as the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD), The Neuro Optometric Rehabilitation Association (NORA), and the Optometric Extension Program Foundation (OEPF), the awareness of vision therapy isn't where it should be.
Why is it important to raise awareness of vision therapy?
Patients often don't know what to do about the symptoms that they have that are related to behavioral optometry. They may experience blurry vision, eye strain, headaches, difficulty reading, or tired eyes when reading and think that is normal or untreatable. Children may voice the same complaints but just as often they may think this is what everyone else is visually experiencing. Many children will have difficulties reading and therefore stop paying attention or act out in class which can often be misunderstood as a behavioral issue when it is really a symptom of a vision problem. Sometimes, even some optometrists aren't aware of where to send a child if they're having trouble in school, or they may not be as familiar with all the symptoms and tests that can be done to identify a developmental vision problem. Many times the parents will assume that just because the child passed their school vision screening, doesn't need glasses, or has been to another eye care professional who says their eyes are fine, that there is nothing that can be done about the symptoms the child is expressing.
What can be done to increase awareness of vision therapy?
We believe vision therapy should be made more widely known by speaking at schools, giving lectures, and creating informational videos. He thinks the world would be better served if parents, teachers, patients, and other optometrists knew there was are many optometrists that specialize in behavioral optometry and have the tools and experience to identify and treat developmental and behavioral vision problems such as; ocular motor, binocular vision and visual processing. By educating others that there is an optometrist that specializes in behavioral optometry, we can direct patients to the best place to go if they have had such issues, and could put an action plan in place to improve their lives through behavioral eye care.
Developmental Vision Screenings
One of the most impactful ways to educate parents and teachers is through more comprehensive screening that is focused on identifying oculomotor and visual processing problems at an early age. At Amplify EyeCare we visit schools and provide complimentary screenings that extend far beyond the scope of a traditional screening. The aim of these screenings is to maximize the number of children who are being screened for developmental vision delays.
Testimonials: Why are they Important?
The saying goes that a picture is worth a thousand words, and the same is true when a review or video describes how effective a treatment was. Such testimonials speak volumes, especially when a patient shares details of the issues they were facing and how vision therapy was able to help them overcome those problems.
How can you tell if you need vision therapy?
Children
Vision therapy is most applicable to children as they start formal education. It is estimated that one in five children have a developmental delay that impacts their ability to read and perform in the classroom. We recommend that every child goes for a developmental eye exam before starting first grade.
Common symptoms for a child that may have a developmental vision delay include:
- Experience headaches after a school day but not on the weekend
- During reading, words seem to float off of the page or overlap each other
- A feeling of exhaustion when reading or performing activities that require sustained concentration.
- Frequently losing place while reading
- Reading something and not being able to recall it or understand what they read
- Being unable to keep up with studies
- Closing one eye while reading
Neuro Diverse
Vision therapy is extremely impactful for the neuro diverse community. People with Autism, Downs Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Non Verbal Learning Disorders, and ADHD have a much higher likelihood of having a visual deficit such as amblyopia and convergence insufficiency. Learn more about vision therapy for neuro diverse community.
Traumatic Brain Injury (concussions, strokes, neurological conditions)
The final category of patients that are most likely to be helped by vision therapy are people at any age that have suffered from a traumatic brain injury. According to studies 90% of people have visual symptoms following a traumatic brain injury. The brain is like the software and the eyes are like the hardware, therefore following an injury to the brain such as a stroke or concussion, the patient will very often experience visual dysfunction that may manifest as blurry or double vision, loss of visual fields, glare or light sensitivity, difficulty reading or focusing on near tasks, and headaches.
