Many parents feel frustrated when their children struggle with reading and learning. This isn’t always a behavioral problem, but rather is due to impaired visual processing, or the way the brain and eyes communicate with each other. Optometrists use vision therapy as a non-invasive option to improve visual processing. Often, these exercises can re-train your child’s brain to interpret visual stimuli correctly, improving vision quality and efficiency. Below are a few frequent questions about this treatment.

What You Should Know About Vision Therapy

Who needs vision therapy?

Optometrists generally agree that it is most effective when beginning at a young age. Schedule a comprehensive eye exam with your local eye doctor if your child experiences recurring headaches, eye fatigue, blurry vision when transitioning between the indoors and outdoors, or difficulty tracking words while reading. All of these are symptoms of visual processing issues.

What conditions can it correct?

Most commonly, vision therapy addresses issues with the eyes not working together to form one image, known as convergence insufficiency. It also helps with difficulty shifting focus between distant and near objects, as well as problems with tracking moving targets or following words while reading.

How is this different from wearing glasses or contacts?

Corrective eyewear compensates for muscle weakness and muscular dysfunction to improve vision. However, vision therapy serves to strengthen communication between healthy eye muscles and the brain. This treats the underlying issue, rather than fixing the symptoms. A thorough exam will allow your eye doctor to make an accurate diagnosis and recommendation.

What does it entail?

After a diagnosis, your optometrist will conduct in-office sessions every few weeks, coupled with specific daily exercises for your child to perform in between sessions. At each meeting, your doctor will evaluate and discuss with you the progress your child is making and implement more advanced exercises.

Can this help a learning disability?

Treatment of learning disabilities is often a multi-disciplinary process involving educational, neurological, and psychological considerations. Since impaired visual processing is a significant obstacle to reading and learning, vision therapy can contribute to improving learning difficulties.

 

If your child is struggling with processing what they see, contact Staarmann Family Vision Center Inc. The experienced providers offer quality care with a personal touch to residents of Fairfield, OH. Call (513) 874-1718 to schedule an appointment, or visit them online to view a list of their services.