Vision Therapy 101: What Is It and How It Helps?

Vision Therapy 101: What Is It and How It Helps?

Sep 01, 2020

Contact lenses and spectacles can correct most common vision problems. Those that cannot be solved by the two require vision therapy. Vision therapy has proved to one effective way of treating vision problems other than the use of contact lenses. A number of vision problems can be solved by vision therapy if properly done.

What is Vision Therapy?

Optometrists define vision therapy as a therapy that attempts to develop and improve one’s visual abilities. Its main aim is to improve visual skills including visual comfort, efficiency, and ease. Processing and interpretation of visual information can also be improved by vision therapy.

Any vision therapy in Calgary, AB involves a series of in-office and home vision exercises that take several months. Training glasses, prisms, and filters are at times used for better results.

Categories of Vision Therapy

Vision therapy is divided into three main categories. These are orthoptics vision therapy, behavioral vision therapy, and preventive vision therapy.

Orthoptic Vision Therapy

This type of vision therapy involves a series of in-office vision exercises lasting for weeks or even months. This eye therapy helps improve the binocular function. The exercises involved in orthoptics vision therapy are easy and once taught can be easily carried out at home.

Behavioral Vision Therapy

Also called perceptual vision therapy, this eye therapy category aims at improving visual processing and perception. This is achieved by a series of in-office and home exercises.

Preventive Vision Therapy

This is done to prevent or correct myopia. The exercises performed here improve the coordination between the visual system and the neurological system. After several months of vision exercise, your brain will be trained to properly work with your eyes.

Vision Therapy Treatment

Anyone can be a candidate for vision therapy as people of all ages can benefit from it. However, it has proved more effective in children and young adults. For instance, problems with coordinating the two eyes are common in children. Such problems with focusing and aiming eyes are known to cause a range of symptoms like double vision, blurred vision, and headaches.

Vision therapy can help solve some of these problems. Our optometrist will suggest a suitable vision therapy program for double vision treatment and other related eye problems.

What Vision Therapy Can Correct

Vision therapy can solve a wide range of vision problems. If you have any of these problems visit us at Premier Eye Care.

Eye Movement Disorders

Vision therapy has shown impressive results when it comes to improving eye movement accuracy. Problems with eye movement can make it hard to read or do any other close-up work.

Amblyopia

Amblyopia also referred to as the lazy eye is a condition where during childhood, eyesight doesn’t develop properly in one eye. With amblyopia, the brain only focuses on the eye function properly ignoring the lazy eye. Vision therapy combined with other exercises like specially designed video games can help solve amblyopia.

Strabismus

Succeeding in strabismus treatment using vision therapy depends on a number of factors among them the magnitude of the turn and direction. Vision therapy has been successful in treating a form of strabismus called convergence insufficiency. Convergence insufficiency is characterized by the inability to properly align eyes during reading despite proper alignment when focusing on other objects.

Binocular Vision Problems

Vision therapy can correct binocular vision problems like phorias, which causes eye strain when reading. Eye fatigue may also be experienced even without any visible eye turn.

Focusing Disorders

Vision therapy exercises can help improve your eye focusing skills giving you a better focus. Lenses can also be prescribed alongside the vision therapy to treat a number of focusing disorders.

Vision Therapy and Dyslexia

The relationship between vision therapy and dyslexia has attracted a lot of studies and debates. However, many optometrists suggest that vision therapy should be used as part of treatment for learning disabilities. In most cases, people with learning disabilities have vision problems that could be solved by vision therapy.

Premier Eye Care Vision Therapy

At Premier Eye Care, we offer quality vision therapy services in Calgary, AB. Our optometrist will help you conduct an in-office exercise and properly guide you oh how to do it from home. Visit us today if you are experiencing any visual problems.

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