Vision therapy is a treatment plan designed to develop and strengthen specific visual skills. It’s often associated with children whose visual systems are still naturally developing, but adults can also benefit from vision therapy. Instead of focusing only on eyesight (how clearly you see letters on a chart), vision therapy works on how the eyes, brain, and body work together.
Any patient who does not have the visual skills they need may experience symptoms such as headaches, eye fatigue, stiff neck, difficulty concentrating, or double vision. Vision therapy can help patients build these skills and overcome issues that may have been affecting their comfort, learning, and performance for years.
Who Can Benefit from Vision Therapy?
Vision therapy is often recommended for children who struggle with reading, schoolwork, or tracking words across a page, but it can also be helpful for teens and adults. Common reasons to consider vision therapy include:
- Difficulty keeping place while reading or frequent loss of place
- Headaches, eye strain, or fatigue with near work
- Skipping lines or words when reading
- Closing or covering one eye while reading
- Complaints of double vision
- Poor sports performance or trouble judging distances
- History of eye turn (strabismus) or lazy eye (amblyopia)
If you’ve noticed these signs in your child—or in yourself—vision therapy at Med Center Eye may be an option to improve visual comfort and efficiency.
Skills Developed Through Vision Therapy
Vision therapy has been shown to be an effective way of developing and improving a wide range of visual skills, all of which are important for day-to-day life, learning, and performance. Skills that can be developed and improved through vision therapy include:
- Tracking: The ability to follow a moving object smoothly and accurately with both eyes—such as moving traffic or a ball coming toward you.
- Depth perception: The ability to judge relative distance between objects and move confidently through space—for example, walking down a flight of stairs or catching a ball.
- Peripheral vision: Awareness of the edges of your visual field and the ability to notice what is happening around you while paying attention to something directly in front of you.
- Acuity at different distances: The ability to see clearly and easily identify and understand objects at both near and far distances.
- Fixation: The ability to quickly and accurately look at, interpret, and understand objects one after another—for example, reading word to word across a line of text.
- Binocular vision: The ability for both eyes to work together in perfect synchronization to form a single, comfortable image.
- Shifting focus: The ability to change focus quickly from one distance to another—such as from the board at school to a notebook—without blur or strain.
- Visualization: The ability to form, retain, and recall visual images in the mind, which can support reading, spelling, comprehension, and performance.
What to Expect from a Vision Therapy Appointment
Vision therapy is generally conducted as an in-office treatment, somewhat like physical therapy for the eyes and visual system. After a detailed evaluation, your doctor will design a personalized treatment plan based on your specific visual needs.
Most vision therapy programs involve regular office visits—often weekly—combined with at-home activities to reinforce new skills. Each session uses a variety of activities and tools to challenge and strengthen eye teaming, focusing, tracking, and processing. Progress is monitored over time and the program is adjusted as needed to keep moving toward your goals.
Vision therapy is a non-surgical, drug-free approach. For many patients, it can be a safe alternative or complement to other treatments, with the goal of making it easier and more comfortable to use their eyes for reading, school, work, and daily activities.
Tools and Techniques Used in Vision Therapy
There are various techniques and tools that may be used in a vision therapy program. These include, but are not limited to:
- Prisms
- Patches
- Occluders
- Therapeutic lenses
- Specialized visual exercises
- Tools and devices designed specifically for use in vision therapy activities
Your exact program will depend on your diagnosis, symptoms, age, and goals. Your doctor will explain each activity and make sure you understand how it helps train specific visual skills.
Vision Therapy in Amarillo, TX
By attending regular vision therapy appointments and practicing recommended activities at home, many patients see meaningful improvements in their visual comfort, reading ability, school performance, and ease in using their eyes for daily tasks.
If your child is struggling with reading or learning, or if you suspect a visual skills problem, our optometrists in Amarillo can evaluate whether vision therapy is right for them. We also work with adults who experience visual issues after concussion, eye misalignment, or long-standing visual strain.
Call our office or request an appointment online to schedule a vision therapy evaluation at Med Center Eye. You can also discuss vision therapy options at your next comprehensive eye exam.
