Vision gives a person the ability to see near and distant objects. There are 17 visual skills that are necessary to perform at school and the office, these are all critical for learning.

Research shows 25 percent of children have a significant vision problem that impacts their learning, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA).

If your child has a problem with any of their 17 visual skills their learning and reading could be affected.

Schedule an eye exam with an eye doctor near you who can evaluate and determine if your child has a vision problem.

SEE RELATED: 2021 Update: Reading Fluency

How do visual problems impact the child?

Vision problems can affect a child’s reading, writing and spelling along with other aspects of learning. If your child’s vision is compromised then their academic performance may suffer.

Vision problems can impact any of these:

• Attention and concentration
• Classroom performance
• Handwriting
• Homework completion
• Reading fluency
• Reading comprehension
• Spelling
• Visual arts

Vision problems and learning difficulties

If your child has a learning difficulty, the cause may be an undiagnosed vision problem. 

Two visual skills, saccades and visual integration, are instrumental in a child’s ability to read.

Saccades is a skill that enables fluid reading. This skill allows your eyes to move smoothly and in coordination across a line on a page. Without it, words may be omitted in a sentence or a child may make word assumptions that can affect the meaning of the sentence and/or passage.

Visual integration is a skill that allows a child to read words accurately, seeing the order and shape of each letter in a word. Without visual integration, a child may confuse letters such as b and d or p and q, or confuse words such as ‘was’ and ‘saw’.

If your child is having difficulty reading at grade level, schedule an appointment with an eye doctor near you, who can evaluate your child’s vision and visual skills.

Vision therapy and learning

Vision therapy is a personalized treatment program that involves a series of eye exercises to strengthen the eye-brain connection, improve visual skills and overall learning and school achievements.

It is important to treat vision problems as early as possible so that your child can achieve optimal results and reach their full potential in school.

LEARN MORE: Vision Therapy for ADHD

If you think your child may have a vision problem, schedule a comprehensive vision evaluation with a vision therapy eye doctor near you.

The doctor will be able to detect any vision problems, and will discuss how vision therapy could improve your child’s learning.

The post 2021 Update: Vision Therapy for Learning appeared first on Optometrists.org.

For many decades, it has been thought that only children under the age of 10 could be successfully treated for amblyopia (lazy eye). In other words, lazy eye treatment was usually not provided to children older than nine.

However, the National Eye Institute (NEI) recently funded a study that found that lazy eye can be successfully treated at least up to age 17 and even adults!

Now, lazy eye can be effectively treated in high school and college student and even adults!

What is lazy eye?

Lazy eye, also known as amblyopia, is a neuro-developmental vision condition that is caused when one eye is unable to achieve normal visual acuity or does not allow the full development of 3D vision.

A lazy eye typically affects the vision or visual function of the affected eye, causing blurred vision which contributes to poor depth perception and binocular vision.

Amblyopia may develop due to other vision conditions such as a wandering or crossed eye (strabismus), or unequal vision in the two eyes caused by nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism.

Contact an eye doctor near you who can diagnose and treat your lazy eye.

Symptoms of lazy eye

Common symptoms of lazy eye:

• One or both eyes may wander inward or outward
• Both eyes may not seem to be working together
• Poor depth perception
• Squinting or shutting one eye in order to see
• Tilting one’s head in order to see
• Frequent eye strain, eye fatigue, or headaches

If you experience any of these symptoms, contact an eye doctor near you who diagnoses and treats lazy eye.

Schedule an appointment with a vision therapy eye doctor to help improve your visual skills.

SEE RELATED: New Research for Adults with Lazy Eye

Are eye exams important?

Yes, frequent eye exams are essential as the earlier a lazy eye is detected, the higher the chances of successful treatment.

In many cases, amblyopia is detectable during a comprehensive eye exam. In addition, if there is a family history of lazy eye, it is crucial that your eyes be examined regularly, as lazy eye can be an inherited condition.

Specific tests are used during eye exams to assess both the visual acuity and the visual skills of each eye. This enables your eye doctor to diagnose a condition such as lazy eye.

Adult lazy eye treatment

For many years it was believed that amblyopia was only treatable in children, often those who are 10 years of age or younger. However, this isn’t necessarily the case. While every patient is different, many adults can see results from amblyopia treatment.

The visual system which consists of the brain, eyes, and visual pathways, can be retrained due to the brain’s plasticity.

For amblyopia, specifically, binocular vision needs to be retrained, as this is the root cause behind a lazy eye. 

With poor binocular vision the two images that the eyes see cannot be combined into one single image, but due to the plasticity of the brain, this does not have to be permanent.

While treatment is most effective when it’s given at an early age, it is still possible at any age to retrain the visual system, restore binocular vision, and correct amblyopia.

Lazy eye and vision therapy

Vision therapy is an effective treatment method for amblyopia. It has been shown to greatly improve the visual skills of the lazy eye by re-training the visual system.

Through vision therapy, the two eyes will be trained to work together to achieve clear and comfortable binocular vision.

Some vision therapy programs that treat amblyopia work to improve these visual skills:

• Accommodation (focusing)
• Fixation (visual gaze)
• Pursuits (eye tracking)
• Saccades (switching eye focus, “eye jumps”)
• Spatial skills (eye-hand coordination)
• Stereopsis (3-D vision)

LEARN MORE: Guide to Vision Therapy for Adults

Schedule an eye exam and vision evaluation for a proper diagnosis of lazy eye and to discuss whether a vision therapy program is the appropriate treatment for you.

The post 2021 Update: Lazy Eye and Adults appeared first on Optometrists.org.

If a child has any type of visual dysfunction it could prevent them from achieving academic success and affect their reading fluency.

These children are often bright and intelligent, but somehow their reading is still below grade level.

If your child is not reading to their potential contact an eye doctor near you, as they may have an undetected visual problem, which might require reading glasses or vision therapy.

SEE RELATED: 2021 Update: Writing and Spelling

What is reading fluency?

Reading fluency is the ability to read accurately, smoothly and with expression. Fluent readers recognize words automatically, without struggling over decoding issues. As they read, the words sound natural, as if they’re speaking.

Fluency is an essential classroom skill as it bridges the child’s word recognition to their comprehension. 

It allows students time to focus on what the text is saying and enables them to make connections between what they are reading and their own background knowledge. They are able to concentrate on comprehension.

Non-fluent readers sound choppy and read slowly. They spend more time decoding, leaving less time and energy for comprehension. They often have to read the same passage several times to comprehend what they are reading.

Reading fluency and vision

Reading fluency is dependent on the strength of visual skills such as accommodation, binocular vision, convergence, saccades, and visual fixation. Many children benefit with reading glasses, while others require a program of vision therapy to improve their visual efficiency skills.

A deficiency in any of these vital visual skills can result in reading difficulties, which can  impact a child’s ability to learn.

Which visual skills are necessary for reading?

• Accommodation – the eyes’ ability to switch focus between two distances while maintaining clear vision.
• Binocular fusion – the brain’s ability to form a single image using the distinct visual information it receives from each eye.
• Convergence – the eyes’ ability to maintain a single image by simultaneously turning inward to focus on a near object, such as a book or computer screen.
• Saccades – rapid eye movements between two or more focus points, such as when the eyes move from one word to the next when reading a sentence across a page.
• Visual fixation – the eye’s ability to accurately focus on a target image, such as a word on a page.

Could my child have a vision problem?

It can be difficult to identify a vision problem in a child, as they may not be able to verbally express themselves or know that they have a vision problem, such as visual efficiency problems.

Common signs of a vision problem may include:

• Behavioral problems
• Covering one eye
• Excessive fidgeting
• Frequent blinking
• Limited attention span
• Reading avoidance
• Reading below school grade level
• Reading comprehension difficulties
• School avoidance
• Tilting head to one side

If your child is displaying signs of a visual impairment, it is important to visit an eye doctor near you for a comprehensive evaluation of your child’s vision and visual skills.

Can vision therapy help?

Vision is a learned skill that can be trained and strengthened, vision therapy is a program to develop the visual skills.

If a vision problem is at the root of your child’s reading difficulty, a vision therapy program can help.

A vision therapy program may help to improve your child’s visual skills and provide them with the necessary tools to succeed in reading and learning, and enjoy a lifetime of success.

Each vision therapy program is created to the individual needs of each child, and may include specialized lenses, prisms, filters, and eye exercises to help retrain the eye-brain connections and improve vision.

LEARN MORE: Guide to Vision and Learning Difficulties

If you think a vision problem may be affecting your child’s reading success, schedule an evaluation with a vision therapy eye doctor who can help strengthen their visual skills to improve reading fluency.

The post 2021 Update: Reading Fluency appeared first on Optometrists.org.

Dyslexia is a complex condition that impacts the way the brain interprets and processes information. It is one of the most common learning disabilities that affects writing, spelling and reading.

Some adults and children, who have a difficult time reading, may experience a wide range of visual issues and complain of symptoms when viewing text on a page.

The symptoms of dyslexia may include:

• Blurry or double vision
• Comprehension difficulties
• Headaches or eye strain
• Letters or words appear to move
• Reduced attention and concentration
• Seeing a glare on white paper
• Slow reading
• Tiredness or fatigue when reading

Symptoms of dyslexia can also impact the lives of adults.

If you or your child are experiencing any of these symptoms, contact an eye doctor near you so that you can alleviate your symptoms.

SEE RELATED: Children and BVD

Could your child’s symptoms be due to a vision problem? 

The symptoms of dyslexia, mentioned above, are often similar to those experienced with vision problems.

For this reason, an eye exam is essential if you or your child has been diagnosed with dyslexia, or if you suspect your child has dyslexia.

A comprehensive eye exam can identify vision problems, even before formal schooling starts, and before difficulties in writing, spelling and reading begin.

Healthy vision is an important piece of the learning process. Each of the following visual functions must be carefully evaluated to detect any learning-related vision problems:

• Binocular Visual Dysfunction – including the misalignment of the two eyes
• Visual efficiency – including binocular vision (eye teaming), eye movements, and accommodation (focusing)
• Visual information processing – including discrimination and identification, integration with other senses and spatial awareness.
• Visual pathway integrity – including refractive status, visual acuity, and ocular health

Once evaluated your eye doctor can discuss the best treatment options available.

Schedule an appointment with an eye doctor near you to evaluate and recommend the best treatment options available.

Can vision therapy help with dyslexia?

Vision therapy is a highly effective way to treat vision problems whose symptoms either mimic dyslexia or coexist alongside dyslexia.  

A customized vision therapy program will improve a patient’s visual efficiency and processing, and therefore strengthen many academic skills.

Vision therapy retrains the eyes and brain to connect properly through a series of eye exercises aimed at strengthening visual skills.

In some cases, vision therapy also involves the use of special lenses or prisms. Your eye doctor may recommend wearing glasses full time, or as needed for near vision activities, such as reading.

If you or your child show any signs of dyslexia, the source may be an undiagnosed vision problem.

LEARN MORE:  Guide to Binocular Visual Dysfunction (BVD)

Schedule an eye exam and take the first step to improve your child’s visual skills.

The post 2021 Update: BVD and Dyslexia appeared first on Optometrists.org.

An athlete can improve their visual skills and boost their performance on the field with the help of sports vision training.

Binocular vision is the eyes’ ability to focus on an object to  create a single image, this is critical for achieving on the sports field.

Binocular vision allows us to perceive three-dimensional relationships and depth between objects or people, such as a ball or another player, making it an essential visual skill, especially for athletes.

Our two eyes sometimes fail to merge visual information into one cohesive image, a condition called binocular dysfunction.

As each eye is in a different position in relation to any object, the eyes communicate slightly different spatial information and send these varying images to the brain. The brain then uses the differences between the signals from the two eyes to accurately judge speed, distance and depth.

When binocular vision isn’t operating at maximum capacity, it impacts an athlete’s speed and the accuracy of their movement along with their reaction time.

Contact an eye doctor near you to start a vision training program to improve your visual skills.

SEE RELATED: Vision Therapy for Eye-Hand Coordination: Success Stories

If an athlete has reduced binocular vision it doesn’t mean that they are constantly fumbling or falling over. It just means that they may collide more often with other players, or misjudge the direction or velocity of a ball.

Sports vision training for athletes

Sports vision training is a customized program that improves the communication between a person’s eyes, brain and body.

Sports vision training helps athletes to react faster and process information more accurately, dramatically improving their game.

Athletes need to have exceptional visual skills, as sports are visually demanding. Athletes need to be able to focus, move fast and react quickly. Sports vision training can help improve all the visual skills an athlete needs to not only make a difference between winning and losing, but between staying safe and incurring an injury.

Even if an athlete has ‘20/20 eyesight’ they may still have reduced binocular vision. Sports vision therapy can help improve visual skills that already exist.

The ability to enhance an athlete’s sports vision skills is a proven way to improve performance.

Reduced binocular vision affects athletes

When our eyes and brain don’t work accurately together, particularly while playing sports, it can affect our reactions, accuracy, depth perception, speed, and timing.

Visual deficits slow down a player’s ability to process  and respond to what they see, and this may make it more difficult for them to catch a fly ball or judge the distance between them and the basketball hoop or goal post.

Visual skills needed for sports

Athletes need many visual skills to perform their best.

Binocular Vision – the ability to maintain focus on an object, creating a single image with both eyes. Without binocular vision, athletes cannot accurately measure depth and distance.

Saccades – rapid, quick, simultaneous eye movements between two or more stationary objects in the same direction. For athletes it’s important to be able to see stationary objects, such as a hoop at the end of the court.

Peripheral Vision – the ability to see movement and objects outside of your direct line of vision. This is important for athletes, especially when running down a field and being able to see other players coming at them from all directions.

Accommodation – the eyes’ ability to change their focus from near to distant objects and vice versa. For example, when a football player looks at other players coming toward them, then shifts focus to the ball on the field.

Smooth Pursuits – is the eyes’ ability to move smoothly, instead of the eye moving in jumps. It is a reflexive eye movement that is required when tracking an object through an environment, such as a flying ball.

Dynamic Visual Acuity – the ability to see when an object is still and the athlete is in motion or see a moving object when a player is stationary. It allows a player to visually discern detail in a moving object, such as a player’s number on a jersey.

Depth Perception – is the ability to distinguish the distance to, or between, objects. This is important for athletes when they need to interact with a moving object or hit an object.

LEARN MORE:  Guide to Sports Vision

Schedule an appointment with a vision therapy eye doctor to help you reach your sports goals.

The post Is Binocular Vision Important for Sports? appeared first on Optometrists.org.

Most patients enjoy their visit to the eye doctor, there are always new frames to look at and the staff and eye doctors are usually a friendly bunch working in a relaxed office.

Are eye exams important?

Yes! Many eye conditions, in their early stages, have no obvious signs or symptoms, so the annual exam is often the only way to detect eye conditions early.

This can leave people believing there is nothing wrong with their eyes. However, since there are no signs or symptoms, regular comprehensive eye exams are key to maintaining good vision and healthy eyes.

A yearly eye exam allows your eye doctor to monitor your vision and eye health over the long-term, and can help detect signs of medical conditions, including diabetes and high blood pressure.

When was the last time you went for an eye exam? Schedule an exam today!

SEE RELATED: What to Do Before an Eye Exam?

What does an eye exam include?

Some tests that your eye doctor may perform during your eye exam include:

• Preliminary Tests – this may include evaluations of peripheral vision, depth perception, color vision, eye muscle movements, and how your pupils react to light.

• Visual Acuity – this evaluates how clearly each eye sees. A reading chart is frequently used during this test. Visual acuity is measured as ‘20/X’, e.g. 20/30 or 20/40. 20/20 is considered perfect vision, but some people have such clear sight, their visual acuities are recorded at 20/15 or even 20/10.

• Optical prescription – the eye doctor will provide an evaluation of your optical prescription, to see if there are any updates that can deliver clearer eyesight.

• Eye Focusing – this test determines how well your eyes move, focus, and work together. Your doctor will be able to see problems that prevent your eyes from focusing effectively or working well together.

• Digital Retinal Image – this test is a digital recording of retinal health achieved by taking an image of the retina. These photographs can be used for accurate diagnosis and stored and used to compare to any future images.

• Eye pressure test (IOP) – this is usually done with a puff of air. Sometimes the eye doctor will gently touch the front surface of your eye with a device that glows with a blue light. IOP is vitally important for eye conditions including glaucoma and corneal disease.

• Slit-lamp – this exam gives your eye doctor a magnified view of the many different structures at the front of the eye and inside, such as the cornea, pupil, iris, tear ducts, lens and retina. The area surrounding the eyes can also be examined, such as the eyelids and the adjacent periorbital skin.

• Ophthalmoscopy – this test uses a bright hand-held light to assess the health of the back of the eyes, and can detect cataracts, retinal detachment, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.

Importance of eye exams

A yearly eye exam is recommended for everyone, especially those over the age of 50, to ensure you have clear vision as well as good eye health.

Don’t wait until you can’t read a street sign a few feet away or the computer screen seems fuzzy.

LEARN MORE:  Guide to Eye Exams

Schedule an eye exam to help keep you and your eyes healthy.

The post Why Are Eye Exams Important? appeared first on Optometrists.org.

You may benefit with vision therapy!

Vision therapy is a customized, personalized treatment program designed to strengthen and improve visual skills to achieve clearer and more comfortable vision.

Strengthening the visual skills boosts your ability to focus, read, concentrate and all other aspects required for work performance.

Vision therapy can treat problems that glasses cannot, such as eye teaming, eye tracking, and visual perceptual deficits. With vision therapy, the brain and eyes learn to communicate better— facilitating a permanent change in your vision.

The Find an Eye Doctor directory lists eye doctors near you that are experienced in vision therapy.

SEE RELATED: 2021 Update: Vision Therapy for Adults

Which physical symptoms can benefit from a vision therapy program?

• Frequent squinting/head tilting
• Blurry vision
• Double vision
• Eye strain or fatigue
• Headaches or tiredness
• Motion sickness or dizziness
• Poor eye-hand coordination
• Poor posture
• Tendency to cover or close one eye
• Turning of an eye in or out, up or down
• Using finger-pointing when reading

Can someone who wears glasses benefit from vision therapy?

Yes, while eyeglasses and contact lenses can correct blurry vision, vision therapy might be needed to treat the symptoms above.

For some vision conditions, reading or computer glasses, combined with a vision therapy program, have been found to be even more effective than just glasses alone.

Eyeglasses and contact lenses offer improved clarity of vision, but vision therapy actually treats the underlying problem by retraining the visual skills needed for clear and comfortable vision.

Each vision therapy program is individually designed for you and your visual needs.

LEARN MORE: Guide to Vision Therapy for Adults

If you think you can benefit from vision therapy, schedule a comprehensive vision evaluation with a developmental optometrist near you.

The post What Are the Signs You Need Vision Therapy? appeared first on Optometrists.org.

Parents will do almost anything to get their child the help they need to keep their grades up at school. However, parents don’t always know who they need help from and what kind of help is needed.

Often school administrators recommend that children who are struggling in school seek help from an occupational therapist (OT) to help cope with learning or behavioral problems, not realizing that the problems achieving at school may come from an undiagnosed problem with their visual skills.

Visual skills are essential for school performance, these can be improved with a vision therapy (VT) program.

If your child has learning or behavioral problems visit an eye doctor for an eye exam.

The differences between VT and OT

While VT and OT have a notable amount of overlap, there are a few key differences.

Vision Therapy:

Vision therapy helps adults and children with poor visual skills to strengthen the brain-eye connection and improve the functioning of their visual system.

There are 17 key visual skills that are vital for school success.

Doing so can alleviate many symptoms like eye strain, headaches, dizziness, and even anxiety.

Examples of visual skills are:

• Eye teaming
• Depth perception
• Focusing
• Tracking
• Convergence
• Visual-motor skills
• Visual processing

Children with 20/20 sight can still have poorly developed visual skills, this is known as the ‘Myth of 20/20 Vision‘.

If a child has a visual deficit, even with 20/20 eyesight, they may need to read a sentence several times in order to understand its meaning. They may also tilt their head to read the board, or may try to avoid doing any visually demanding activities.

SEE RELATED: Guide to Vision Therapy

Contact an eye doctor near you that can conduct eye exams to detect any underlying visual problems.

Occupational Therapy:

Occupational therapists help people of all ages to regain/gain the ability to perform various tasks through the use of interventions and sensory-motor exercises. OT aims to improve:

• Balance
• Bilateral awareness
• Gross and fine motor coordination
• Hand-eye coordination
• Tactile awareness

Which therapy is right for your child? 

If your child is struggling in school or while playing sports they should first be evaluated by an eye doctor experienced in vision therapy.

If children have any trouble performing visually-demanding tasks like sports, spelling, reading, or are complaining of headaches — a vision therapy evaluation will assess the development of their visual skills.

Specific eye doctors have spent years of post-graduate training in vision therapy and can provide successful programs to improve your child’s visual skills and in turn enhance their reading, learning, attention and overall school performances.

While OT’s can perform more basic visual exercises with children, only an optometrist experienced in VT can prescribe therapeutic lenses, filters and prisms to significantly impact the functioning of their visual skills.

School vision screening

Something to keep in mind is that even if a child passes the school’s vision screening test, they may still have a problem with visual processing and other visual skills. 

School vision screenings are not reliable as they only test eyesight and not the other essential visual skills that help with the success of a child.

An interdisciplinary approach is often the most effective since the visual system is highly integrated with other systems. While some children may benefit from doing both OT and VT simultaneously, it is usually recommended that the visual skills are addressed first.

LEARN MORE: Guide to Vision Therapy

If your child is not achieving to their potential at school, contact an eye doctor near you to schedule an appointment, so that their vision can be evaluated.

If your child is struggling with behavioral or learning problems, they may have an undiagnosed vision problem and your eye doctor will be able to discuss the many successful options.

The post Vision Therapy or Occupational Therapy? appeared first on Optometrists.org.

This blog has been adapted from ‘The Sandwich Approach to Vision Therapy and Strabismus’, on The VisionHelpBlog, Dr Leornard Press OD FAAO FCOVD, Nov 2019

Imagine eating each of these separately: a leaf of lettuce, a few spicy pickles, a meat or vegetarian patty, a spoon of ketchup, a sesame bun and then two slices of cheese? …. Probably not great!

However, when you combine all of these items into a hamburger – together they become one of life’s most delicious treats … that’s the ‘sandwich’ effect!

What do sandwiches have to do with vision therapy?

Dr. Nancy Torgerson, together with the surgeon Dr. Thomas Lenart, reports that the term “sandwich approach” seems to be gaining traction for the combination of vision therapy and strabismus (eye turn) surgery are found to boost clinical outcomes in certain cases.

The ‘sandwich’ approach might consist of vision therapy before surgery to optimize sensory readiness for motor fusion, and/or after the surgery to stabilize or safeguard binocular vision.

To date there have been isolated case reports in the literature on using sandwich approaches of combining optometric vision therapy to provide a more optimized outcome of strabismus surgery.

As an example, Northwest Eye Surgeons posts on its website: “The goal of strabismus treatment is to improve eye alignment so that the eyes work together (binocular vision). Treatment addresses the underlying cause and may include eyeglasses, eye exercises, prism therapy, vision therapy and/or eye muscle surgery….”

How does vision therapy work?

Vision therapy works by teaching the brain to blend the information from the two eyes.

Many times, vision therapy can even align the eyes without surgery. 

In other cases, vision therapy is performed after surgery to help keep the eyes aligned and to further improve 3D vision, depth perception for sports, school, and driving.

In vision therapy programs various exercises are conducted to help the brain and eyes to improve eye coordination.

Strabismus affects not only how children and adults look, but see as well. Successful eye surgery along with vision therapy can help align eyes and create two-eyed depth perception for seeing the three-dimensional world.

A compendium from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists already notes the role of non-surgical exercises in the treatment of convergence insufficiency, distance esotropia and symptomatic phorias.

There are positive signs that eye doctors are appreciating the combination of vision therapy with strabismus surgery to deliver the optimum vision for patients … just one more ‘sandwich’ we can all enjoy!

The post Sandwiches and Vision Therapy? appeared first on Optometrists.org.

EyeCare Associates, CT

“Vision therapy has helped me ride my bike, and helps me for school in math, writing, and reading. I have gotten very good grades because of vision therapy”

Gavin N., age 8

Meet Gavin

Gavin is an energetic 8 year old who has a history of lazy eye (amblyopia) and hyperopia (far-sighted), which is greater in his left eye. When he first came to our clinic three years ago, he presented with farsightedness of +3.50 in his right eye and farsightedness of +5.50 in his left eye.

Due to the high farsightedness and significant difference between the optical prescriptions in his two eyes, the vision in his left eye was significantly worse than his right eye. Gavin was seeing 20/30 in his right eye and only 20/200 in his left eye.

Moreover, Gavin’s lazy eye impacted his reading and depth perception, which in turn, affected his confidence.

Gavin primarily wanted to  improve his vision in order  to improve his school grades and his ability to ride his favorite bike.

What did we do?

The first thing we did was reduce Gavin’s  glasses prescription. We also set up a schedule for him to complete a series of vision therapy sessions both in the office and at home. A customized computer program was also set up to help stimulate his eyes and reduce the amblyopia.

Gavin’s visual acuity improved over the first year. He continued to come for vision therapy to address and strengthen his eye movements, focusing, eye teaming and visual spatial skills— these difficulties are common in children with lazy eye and  were affecting his ability to read and learn.

Was vision therapy successful?

Yes! 

Today, Gavin’s visual acuity is 20/20 in the right eye and nearly 20/30 in the left eye, and his basic visual skills are excellent. 

Gavin’s eye tracking movements, focusing and eye teaming skills have greatly improved. His left eye is no longer suppressed, or shut down, and his stereoscopic depth perception is excellent. He is doing much better in school and even has learned to ride a bike.

What is amblyopia?

Amblyopia, or “lazy eye”, are the terms used for reduced eyesight in one eye that can not be corrected with glasses.

The lazy eye typically looks normal but functionally cannot see clearly. Amblyopia is the most common cause of reduced vision in one eye in children and adults, affecting over 2 percent of the population.

Many people have a mild form of amblyopia and are not even aware that they have the condition since the vision in their stronger eye is normal, and with both eyes open they can see.

One eye becomes amblyopic because the brain does not process information from that eye. The brain may not get a clear image from that eye or the images from the two eyes are conflicting and the brain ignores one of them.

If you suspect your child has any eye condition, contact an eye doctor near you, who can diagnose and treat the condition.

SEE RELATED: Bifocals for Lazy Eye

What causes amblyopia?

• Refractive error: One eye has a much higher prescription compared to the other
• Strabismus: One eye turns in or out relative to the other
• Deprivation: One eye had a condition or injury early in life causing a vision obstruction or occlusion. This can occur from glaucoma, a corneal ulcer, congenital cataracts, or a drooping eyelid.

As a result of these amblyopic conditions, people with amblyopia typically have difficulties with binocular vision or eye teaming and visual processing skills. They also frequently experience the following:

• Poor focusing skills
• Poor depth perception
• Poor spatial relations
• Poor pattern recognition
• Low contrast sensitivity
• Low motion detection
• Poor visual acuity
• Visual crowding or confusion
• Poor eye hand coordination

What can be done to treat amblyopia?

• Early detection is key: A vision examination is recommended for all children by age three.
• Glasses: The proper prescription will allow for a clearer image to come into the eye and prevent the brain from ignoring the poor image.
• Vision therapy: Better than patching the good eye, vision therapy encourages the use of both eyes and is effective at any age, although the earlier the treatment begins, the better.

LEARN MORE: Vision Therapy for Lazy Eye

If you suspect that you or your child may have a lazy eye, schedule an appointment with an optometrist for a comprehensive eye and vision evaluation. 

The post Lazy Eye Success appeared first on Optometrists.org.