What Is Vision Therapy?

Schedule a visit with our optometrists today to talk about your options for starting vision therapy.

Vision therapy has received increasing attention from the public over the past few years, and it's no wonder why: this treatment approach for eye conditions like lazy eye, double vision, amblyopia and more can have an incredible impact on patients' lives.

But what is vision therapy, exactly? Why is it so important? And how does it help people who suffer from certain visual impairment problems regain their sight and improve their quality of life? Keep reading to learn more about vision therapy—and all the ways it can help you!

What Is Vision Therapy

Vision therapy is a type of rehabilitation that uses special exercises and activities to improve eyesight. Optometrists can use it to treat conditions like amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (crossed eyes), and convergence insufficiency (eye fatigue). Vision therapy can also help improve visual skills such as tracking, scanning, and coordination.

Who Can Benefit From Vision Therapy?
Vision therapy is beneficial to people of all ages. Vision therapy programs are successful based on the type of visual impairment a person has, not their age.

Most patients mistakenly believe they are too old to do anything about their eyesight, but the brain remains dynamic and can accommodate new developments throughout life. Vision therapy can be equally beneficial for adults as for children.


What Conditions Can Benefit From Vision Therapy?

- Amblyopia
Children with amblyopia have poor vision. Insufficient eye-brain connections cause the problem. These connections transport vision data from the eyes to the parts of the brain that allow us to see. Amblyopia occurs when the eyes and the brain do not communicate properly. These connections are formed when children are young. Amblyopia is also known as "lazy eye." Some causes of amblyopia cannot be identified without an eye exam.

- Strabismus
Strabismus describes abnormalities such as eye turns, crossed eyes, wall eyes, and wandering eyes. Vision therapy, such as eye teaming and tracking, can help mismatched eyes look and function better. Strabismus vision therapy is beneficial.

We recommend a vision therapy evaluation before any eye surgeries that can result in permanent scarring, double vision, over-correction of the eye turn, and a poor prognosis with vision therapy. Surgery can be performed at any time if surgery is the only option.


- Oculomotor Dysfunction
Individuals with poor eye tracking skills may experience word skipping or leaping, loss of position, difficulty copying from the board, and even poor attention.

- Stress-Induced Visual Difficulties
Lifestyles in the twenty-first century demand more than ever before from our vision. In our technology world, children and adults use their near vision daily at work and home. Environmental visual system stresses can induce eyestrain, headaches, and/or vision impairments, which can be effectively treated with corrective lenses and/or Vision Therapy.

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Accommodative and Vergence Issues
Individuals with poor eye focusing and eye teaming skills may benefit from Vision Therapy, which can cause symptoms such as blurred or doubled vision after a short period of reading, tired eyes, headaches, and slow reading speed due to the amount of effort necessary to see, and poor comprehension.

Clients benefit from Vision Therapy in recovering normal eye coordination and teamwork (binocular vision). When the two eyes do not work as an efficient team, performance decreases in various areas.

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Rehabilitation after Brain Damage that Affects Visual Information Processing
Neurological disorders or nervous system impairment can impact one's vision (such as head injuries, traumatic brain injuries, stroke, whiplash, developmental delays, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and cervical trauma syndrome). Vision Therapy can effectively address double vision, visual information processing delays, focus or concentration issues, midline changes, visual field loss, and visual-spatial confusion.

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Enhancement of Sports Vision
Visual abilities are required for athletic performance. Nothing happens in sports unless your eyes instruct your hands and body what to do! Vision Therapy can help you improve your eye-hand coordination, depth perception, visual reaction time, peripheral awareness, eye teaming, concentration, tracking, visualizing, and visual attention. Because of Vision Therapy, many children and adults have discovered newfound success in sports and coordination!

Do You Have Questions About Vision Therapy?

Vision therapy may be the answer if you're looking for a way to improve your vision. This therapy can help strengthen your eye muscles, improve eye coordination, and reduce strain on your eyes. In addition, vision therapy can also help you learn how to better use your eyesight. Contact CV Optometry today and learn more about vision therapy.