What Is Vision Therapy Visual Training

Many people suffer with undiagnosed vision conditions. Sometimes these problems cause symptoms like headaches, dry eyes, tired eyes, etc. In some cases, vision problems don’t cause obvious symptoms, but are reducing comfort, productivity and/or stamina in ways that do not obviously point to the eyes or the visual system as the cause. All of these situations demand the attention of a behavioral optometrist who understands the development and function of the visual process. One reason so many people have undiagnosed visual conditions is that most eye care professionals are not inclined to think in terms of visual function other than the ability to see clearly. Behavioral optometrists can diagnose even the most subtle visual problem and recommend various treatment options. The most common and most clinically proven options for these kinds of problems is vision therapy. Therapeutic lenses are also useful in providing help and relief in most of situations described above.

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Vision therapy is a program for actively training the visual process to develop new strategies. Vision therapy, provided by a behavioral optometrist, should include the therapeutic use of lenses. Vision therapy is not eye exercises. Eyes do not need to exercise. Even obvious eye teaming problems, those where you see someone who has one eye that appears not to be aiming with the other eye, are rarely muscle problems. Most visual difficulty results from an inability in the brain, not the eyes. The primary purpose of vision therapy is to help the brain learn how to use the eyes more effectively. Vision therapy, at its best is a program that involves the brain and movement of the body. This promotes continued development of the visual process, which is necessary for us to keep up with the changing demands we all face over the course of our lives. This article provides a brief description of who may benefit from vision therapy and what is involved in a typical vision therapy program.

Vision therapy, also known as visual training, is a program of activities that help a person engage in, observe, learn about, and change the way they are using their visual process. Although vision therapy is often referred to as “eye exercises” vision therapy is much more than that. It is possible to retrain the brain with vision therapy by setting up the proper conditions, and using the appropriate language, equipment, and perhaps most important of all – lenses. This is an important point. The eyes and their supporting muscles can only do what the brain tells them to do. When the visual process is not working properly it is because there is confusion in the brain. That is, the brain is not processing visual information accurately. This in turn causes errors in the output. Vision is primarily a process involved with output. Output can consist of thought, relating information through spoken or written language or some other type of bodily movement.

The primary purpose of the visual process is to direct action.

Of course we must first see with our eyes and get meaning from what we see. However, the most important step in this process is our response to this input. What do we do with what we’ve seen? Can we answer questions about what we saw correctly? Can we catch the ball coming toward us? Can we copy exactly what is on the board accurately and quickly? Can we judge speeds and distances quickly and accurately while driving? All of these questions relate to visual output. Vision therapy deals with all aspects of the visual process, especially output.

Vision therapy also enables a person to become more aware of the way they use the visual process as well as helping people to be more aware of their surroundings. Improvement in these areas helps reduce stress, increase comfort and maximize performance. A good vision therapy program also helps people, especially young people, to become more self-directed and self-motivated. Vision therapy is process oriented, not product oriented. Certainly the hope is that the end product is one that eliminates symptoms, improves visual information processing and provides a satisfactory resolution to the issues that led to the decision to pursue a vision therapy program. However, the meat of the program itself is about the process of becoming more effective and efficient at carrying out visual tasks.

Vision therapy is a program of activities designed to improve visual development, comfort and performance. There are many conditions that consistently involve visual difficulties and respond well to vision therapy. These include:

• delays in visual development
• autism spectrum behaviors
• overall developmental delays
• neurological conditions
• acquired brain injuries
• concussions
• stress related breakdown of visual abilities
• various injuries that affect posture
• improper or overuse of the eyes

Difficulties in visual performance can lead to:

• poor overall development
• poor coordination
• overall , so-called learning disabilities
• difficulty learning to read
• discomfort while reading
• poor handwriting
• attention deficits
• inability to complete work on time
• eye, neck, muscle discomfort at the computer
• headaches
• eye strain, itching eyes, red eyes, dry eyes