Vision Therapy Can Change Your Life…
- Lazy eye
- Eye alignment problems
- Focus problems
- Convergence insufficiency
- Hand-eye coordination problems
- Double vision
Vision Therapy Research Study:
Older Adults Can Achieve Improved Visual Performance
According to Journal of Vision, perceptual training (including vision therapy) can improve visual performance among older adults and the elderly. The November 2010 study is available online here. The study used an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group showed significant improvement while the control group experienced no improvement.
Meet Dr. Laura Knapp - Vision Therapy Specialist
How Vision Therapy Works
1) Office Evaluation
2) Your Unique Customized Program
If it is determined that Vision Therapy is right for you, a custom program will be developed based on the results of standardized tests, your needs, and your symptoms.
3) Your Vision Therapy Sessions Begin
Your Vision Therapy Sessions:
- Typically 6-12 months
- 1-2 office visits per week
- 30-60 minutes per visit
- Home Exercises to work on between therapy sessions
What You Can Expect
Vision Therapy = Physical Therapy for your Eyes!
The Science Behind Vision Therapy
Vision Therapy Should Be Individualized and Customized
The science of therapy has established that to be maximally effective, therapy should be individualized and customized to the needs of the patient. Vision therapy may be implemented by a trained therapist, but must be administered under the supervision and guidance of a knowledgeable Doctor of Optometry. The patient must internalize changes and understand that the visual system is modified therapeutically, not by procedures done to the patient, rather to the extent the patient is responsible for viewing differently.
Technology has greatly aided the science of optometric vision therapy but placing the patient in front a computer cannot substitute for active observation and interaction with a therapist. In the next section we review research on vision therapy, but there is one major study that is crucial in understanding the science of vision therapy.
The CITT, or Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial, is a multicenter study funded by the National Institutes of Health (the original study name was CIRS, or Convergence Insufficiency and Reading Study). The group that created this study went on to publish the CISS, or Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey, to prove that pencil push-up therapy or base-in prism glasses used in isolation were NOT effective, and that home-alone therapy was equivalent to placebo therapy. This is where the science becomes pivotal. Anyone currently treating convergence insufficiency without the benefit of supplemental in-office procedures is essentially dispensing placebo therapy until proven otherwise.
Research on Vision Therapy
Office-Based Vision Therapy is Far Superior to any Other Form of Intervention
The results of this study are now being used by some insurance carriers to support the need for office-based vision therapy, but only of 12 weeks duration, as was used in the CITT study.
