What Is Vision Therapy?

Vision therapy is a doctor-supervised, non-surgical, and customized program of visual exercises and activities designed to correct certain vision problems and/or improve visual skills. It’s also referred to as:

  • Visual Training
  • Vision Training
  • Visual Therapy
  • Optometric Vision therapy
  • Orthoptics (not entirely accurate)
  • Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation
  • Behavioral Optometry
  • Developmental Optometry

Vision therapy is similar to physical therapy. It integrates visual acuity (20/20) and binocular function plus detailed brain function activities that collectively control thousands of components of our entire body’s coordinated actions. Your visual system is your steering system. Vision therapy helps to enhance the ability of the visual system to more precisely orchestrate the entire body’s activities.

When a visual problem is identified, optometric vision therapy and therapeutic lenses are utilized to address the specific needs of the patient. Vision therapy is a sequence of therapy procedures that are individually prescribed and monitored by Dr. Taddese to develop efficient visual skills and visual processing.

The use of lenses, prisms, filters, occluders, specialized instruments and computer programs is an integral part of optometric vision therapy. Typically, vision therapy is administered as a combination of in-office visits combined with home reinforcement activities. The frequency and duration of the in-office sessions is determined during the developmental vision evaluation and reviewed at the consultation.

The in-office therapy is designed to make the patient aware of his or her visual deficiencies under controlled conditions. Then, by a feedback process, the patient is taught strategies to improve visual performance. Vision therapy sessions are typically conducted one-on-one with a vision therapist. Home reinforcement activities are directed at practicing the newly learned visual skills until the initial conscious effort becomes automatic.