Vision Therapy
All You Need to Know
Vision therapy is a highly effective non-surgical treatment that increases how effectively your eyes work with your brain as well as the accuracy in which your brain perceives the images we see. An optometric vision therapy program is an individualized, supervised treatment program available for children and adults that corrects visual-motor and perceptual-cognitive deficiencies. During each session, participants will complete various exercises and procedures that are designed to strengthen your brain’s ability to control:
- Eye Alignment
- Eye Tracking and Teaming
- Eye Focusing Abilities
- Eye Movements
- Visual Processing
Many individuals in the world today have found benefits from vision therapy if they’re struggling in school, work, or sports. Additionally, vision therapy has proven to benefit individuals with special needs requiring vision rehabilitation.
Exercises
Our doctors will have you complete numerous exercises during your supervised in-house appointments, but they will likely provide activities to complete in your own time at home to continue strengthening and improving your vision. Below are a few exercises you may complete during vision therapy sessions or that may be prescribed for home therapy.
Prism or Lens Fixation
You will be asked to view an object while looking into differing lenses or prisms with selected orientations. Prism or lens fixation teaches your eyes to see happenings and people that are at a close or nearby distance.
Computer Programs
A variety of computer-assisted vision therapy activities will be completed to stress vergence, accommodation, eye movements, and visual information processing. There are many different activities available for patients to complete virtually while still following traditional vision therapy practices.
Patching
If you are experiencing troubles from amblyopia or a lazy eye, your brain is likely ignoring image signals from your weaker eye. Patching helps reduce the signals coming from the stronger eye and encourages your brain to engage with the weaker eye, thus resulting in increased functioning for both eyes.
Vision Rest
Individuals that spend prolonged periods focusing on computer screens at work or school will benefit from this exercise. Our doctors will encourage you to follow the 20/20/20 rule to see if any improvements occur. You’ll be expected to rest your eyes after 20 minutes of computer use for at least 20 seconds while looking at an object 20 feet away. This exercise reduces eye strain or fatigue and may help reduce headaches and problems focusing.
How to Tell if Vision Therapy is Needed
Patients of all ages can benefit from vision therapy, as glasses or contacts cannot simply correct many symptoms. Vision therapy has been most commonly known to treat children; however, it’s becoming more common in adult cases as well if they have experienced a concussion or traumatic brain injury. While anyone can pass a basic vision screening, often there are underlying issues that make learning, sports, or work difficult, which means vision therapy may be the solution for you. There are many symptoms to be aware of that commonly cannot be resolved by a simple correction:
- Car Sickness
- Problems Focusing
- Chronic Headaches
- Poor Hand-Eye Coordination
- Low Comprehension
- Double Vision
- Persistent Eye Strain or Fatigue
- Prolonged Homework Completion
- Troubles Focusing When Reading
- Letters Moving
- Rubbing of Eyes
- Avoids Certain Activities
- Eyes Watering When Reading
- Reduced Attention Span
- Reverses Letters or Words
- Behind in Reading Skills
If you or a loved one are experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s encouraged to contact one of our doctors for a comprehensive or pediatric eye exam to determine whether vision therapy would be beneficial.
Locations & Doctors
We have brought together an outstanding team of doctors that work together to provide each patient, child, or adult, with optical expertise and care that cannot be compared. Our award-winning doctors cultivate lifelong relationships with every patient by maintaining clear communication and transparency. We guarantee that every patient’s experience will be unique to their optical needs and be incredibly educational. With precision and convenience, Art of Optiks assures your visit will be unique to you.
Our affiliate, Twin Cities Vision Therapy, is located at our Edina location with Dr. Whitman overseeing the Vision Therapy program. She is an outstanding professional that enjoys making a difference in the lives of her patients, both young and old. She specializes in working with children and patients with special needs but is eager to see patients of any age for routine eye care, contact lenses, and disease management. Art of Optiks currently has two locations that provide a variety of services we encourage you to explore. Our doctors, Timothy Haupert and Victoria Whitman, are located at offices in Wayzata and Edina, Minnesota..