Vision therapy is a means of treating different types of eye focusing and eye movement disorders. It involves in-clinic and at-home training procedures to make the eye muscles work more efficiently. This highly effective, non-surgical treatment is used for eye conditions such as a lazy eye, an eye turn, double vision, and reading and learning disabilities. The treatments are individualized to meet each patient’s needs and involve a course of “eye exercises” and progress evaluations that occur over an average span of about six to nine months. This type of therapy is not to be confused with any such “self-treatment” programs to strengthen the eyes. It is a professional, optometrist directed series of treatment that uses prescription lenses, prisms, eye patching and other patient-specific equipment to help properly develop or improve visual skills and abilities.

Vision therapy starts with a comprehensive vision examination by Dr. McCulley. If any visual skills are found to be lacking, a complete vision therapy evaluation will determine the means of treatment. Over the course of the progress evaluations and the at-home training, great improvements can be made in patients’ accommodation (near focusing), convergence (eyes focusing up close together) and motility (eyes moving smoothly together).

Vision problems can lead to a wide range of sign and symptoms. Physical signs of an eye turn, frequent headaches, poor hand-eye coordination, double vision, and avoidance of close work or other visually demanding tasks are clues that an eye problem exists. Some symptoms may not be quite as obvious. Too often having 20/20 vision is confused with having “perfect” eyes. There are many scenarios were problems can be occurring while a patient still sees 20/20. Examples of this are poor reading comprehension, loss of place while reading, difficulty changing focus from distance to near and back, and letter or word reversals. Vision therapy can help treat these types of visual disorders.

Please contact our clinic with further questions or to schedule a vision therapy evaluation.