Vision Therapy

Like physical therapy for the eyes and brain.

Why do you need Vision Therapy?

Eye strain and headaches are the most common visual complaints of students and office workers today. Poor reading comprehension and difficulties with decreased concentration and attention span can have a negative impact at school or work. But, these are not “seeing” problems, so glasses alone won’t fix them.

They are often due to eye muscle and visual processing problems. Our eyes were never intended for spending long periods of time on close work – such as reading or at a computer. Eye strain and many headaches are caused by the visual demands of modern living. They are also common problems with developmental delays or after a Traumatic Brain Injury.

The muscles of the eyes must work together as a team — learning to align, track, focus, and relax as needed. If the eye muscles are not coordinated, they become fatigued and the brain has difficulty processing visual information. The result can be eye strain, headaches, difficulty concentrating, and poor reading comprehension. Vision Therapy exercises can improve how your eye muscles work, relieve your symptoms, and improve your visual performance.

What is Vision Therapy?

Think of it like physical therapy for your eye muscles. It’s a re-education program for your visual system. And, just like learning to ride a bike, once you teach your eye muscles and visual system how to work their best, they don’t forget. Upon successful completion of therapy, your eyes will function comfortably and efficiently as a team. Your symptoms will be eliminated or significantly reduced.

Near-vision tasks will become more enjoyable and rewarding. You will have a longer attention span – and better comprehension. As with most therapy programs, the extent of success is dependent on patient compliance.

What are my options for Vision Therapy?

One option is a highly individualized, office-based Vision Therapy program. This option is appropriate for all ages and eye conditions. Another option is a fun, computerized Home Therapy System (HTS). However, this may not be appropriate for very young patients or certain eye conditions.

What is Office-Based Vision Therapy?

Traditional office-based Vision Therapy, also referred to as, Orthoptics, is most like conventional Physical or Occupational Therapy programs. The patient works one-on-one with a trained therapist in the office and also does exercises at home. The vision therapist administers an individualized program that uses a combination of lenses, prisms, and other optical instruments. These exercises teach the visual system to work more efficiently with better accuracy, speed, and endurance.

The visual skills are trained until they become automatic and are integrated with other motor skills (such as eye-hand coordination) as well as cognitive skills. The in-office therapy visits are weekly or bi-weekly and last 30 minutes. The home exercises are to be done 5 days per week and last 15-20 minutes per session.

Most conditions can be treated within six to twelve weeks. Then you do weekly maintenance sessions for a few months – to reinforce your new skills.

What is Home Vision Therapy (HTS)?

HTS is a computerized program developed by Dr. Jeffrey Cooper, MS, OD, FAAO, a clinical professor at the State University of New York, College of Optometry, and Rodney K. Bortel. HTS Computerized Home Vision Therapy is fun and easy.

You learn a series of eye exercises – done on a computer. Kids say it’s like a computer game. The initial tasks are easy and the computer automatically increases the challenge based on your improvement.

The HTS program is tailored to your own personal binocular vision problem and you can practice HTS at home, at school, or at your office, wherever you have a computer. You usually practice five days a week for approximately 18 minutes. Your progress within the HTS program will be monitored remotely every week. We typically have you return to the offices every four to six weeks and/or at completion. Most patients finish the program in six to twelve weeks. Like the office-based Vision Therapy, you do weekly maintenance sessions for a few months – to reinforce your new skills.