|
|
Eyeglasses May Not Be the Answer to Your Child's Vision Problem |
Advertisement |
Training the Eyes (and Brain) to See When we think of correcting vision problems, we often think of eyeglasses or contact lenses. But they can't be used to treat some vision disorders. Sometimes a program of eye exercises called vision therapy is needed to provide clear, comfortable, and efficient vision. |
Eye Power: An Updated Report on Vision Therapy |
Eyeglasses or contact lenses are usually prescribed to compensate for blurred vision caused by eyesight problems like nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. If your child is having difficulty seeing the chalkboard in school, or has difficulty focusing on close-work, eyeglasses may be the answer. But vision therapy, also called visual training, does more than just compensate for an eyesight problem. It can actually change how the eyes work. Vision therapy trains the eyes to focus, move, and work together and enhances how the brain uses information it gets from the eyes. Vision Therapy Changes How a Child Sees Vision therapy helps a child obtain vital vision skills by practicing them repeatedly in a supervised learning situation. This multi-step process involves relearning how to see. It is sometimes necessary for a child to unlearn incorrect or inefficient seeing habits and gain improved ones. Vision therapy uses many different visual activities, which are practiced under controlled viewing conditions. Lenses, prisms, filters and occluders are used to alter normal seeing patterns, and allow a child to learn and relearn specific visual abilities. Specialized training equipment and devices, including computer based programs, may be used. The training activities provide feedback, which allows a child to monitor his or her own performance and respond appropriately. Some activities may seem more like games than therapy. They can involve tasks like following a swinging ball with the eyes while balancing on a walking rail, or tracing pictures while wearing special red-green glasses that allow each eye to only see parts of the total picture. Other training activities use more complex equipment like electronic display boards with randomly flashing lights, stereoscopic viewers that present different images to each eye and computer-based programs that involve 3-D tasks. The length of time required to complete a vision therapy program varies. It depends upon the type of vision problem being treated, how long the condition has existed, and the level of participation by the child. From three to six months is typical. Could Vision Therapy Help My Child? The only way to know if vision therapy can help your child is to have his/her vision examined. A comprehensive vision examination should evaluate eye focusing, eye teaming, eye tracking and visual perceptual abilities to determine if a program of vision therapy is needed and can be beneficial. When scheduling a vision exam, keep in mind that not all eye doctors offer vision therapy services. This area of specialized vision care requires additional training and equipment. If your eye doctor does not provide vision therapy services, ask for a referral to a doctor who does. |
This book is an easy to read, informative guide to the use and benefits of vision therapy. |
TM |
Advertisement |
I Read...I Succeed Kit |
Learn how vision therapy activities can help your child to read "at or above grade level" in just 10 minutes a day! |