3 Myths about Vision Therapy

Myth: If you have 20/20 eyesight, you have perfect vision.

Fact: When your child does a school screening and passes with visual acuities of 20/20, it does NOT mean they have good vision. The visual acuities have nothing to with how well the eyes function together and how they interpret or process what they see. The eye chart does not measure peripheral vision, depth perception, color perception or eye-hand coordination which is all part of vision. Eyesight and vision are different.

Myth: Vision Therapy is for kids.

Fact: No, vision therapy is for children and adults. Vision therapy is actually more effective for adults because they are usually highly motivated to improve their visual abilities. For adults, it is common to have visual problems with activities up close like reading, using the computer, or writing.  If an adult performs these activities daily and their eyes do not work well together for long periods of time, then it is not uncommon for them to experience eye strain or eye fatigue. 

Myth: If a child has a short attention span and behavior problems, then they most likely have ADD/ADHD.

Fact: Sometimes when a child exhibits behavior such as impulsivity, hyperactivity and distractibility they are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, but they might actually only have a learning difficulty because their eyes might not be working together and it is hard for them to focus and learn. A child might have a short attention span due to the fact they have a hard time focusing on their work because of a vision problem. According to the website covd.org, “A recent study by researchers at the Children's Eye Center, University of San Diego, uncovered a relationship between a common vision disorder, convergence insufficiency, and ADHD. The study "showed that children with convergence insufficiency are three times as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than children without the disorder." Before an ADD/ADHD diagnosis is made, please consider getting your child a comprehensive eye exam. 

What other myths have you heard about Vision Therapy? Let us know and we will give you some more facts. 

Learning Disabilities Awareness Month

October is Learning Disabilities Awareness month! "While educators may have been taught that vision has nothing to do with learning, COVD is sending the message that vision has everything to do with learning." Check out the article below, you will really enjoy it. Pass it along to your friends and family.

Vision Problems Mistaken for Learning Disabilities: College of Optometrists in Vision Development Observes Learning Disabilities Awareness Month

More articles that I have blogged about that are related to Vision and Learning:

• How are Vision and Learning linked?
• Does your child have bad handwriting?
• My child gets vision screenings at school isn't that good enough?
• Teacher Resources

If you or your child struggles with "top 5 signs" you need to make an appointment with us or your local Optometrist. 

Nashville Vision Therapy
4322 Harding Pike, Suite 214
Nashville, TN 37203
ph. (615) 386-3086

I'm ready to learn!

This weekend I am heading to Detroit for an Advance Vision Therapy Seminar. I will be learning more about Strabismus and Amblyopia. I am hoping to bring back more new VT tools and ideas to help my patients.

Let's talk about what Strabismus! Straight from the COVD website:

Strabismus or crossed eyes, is the inability to point both eyes in the same direction at the same time. One eye may appear to turn in (esotropia), out (exotropia), up (hypertropia), or down (hypotropia). The eye turn may occur constantly or only intermittently. Eye-turning may change from one eye to the other, and may only appear when a person is tired or has done a lot of reading. Strabismus may cause double vision. To avoid seeing double, vision in one eye may be ignored resulting in a lazy eye (amblyopia).


Crossed eyes most often develop in infants and young children, although it can occur in adults. This may also be caused by:

• Inadequate development of eye coordination in childhood
• Excessive farsightedness or differences between the vision in each eye
• Problems with the eye muscles that control eye movement
• Head trauma, stroke, or other general health problems

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To repeat, "to avoid seeing double, vision in one eye may be ignored resulting in a lazy eye (amblyopia)." What does that crazy looking word mean?


When the clarity or alignment of the images from the two eyes is very different, or if the child sees double, the brain may begin to ignore the vision in one eye. This can result in amblyopia. The favored eye compensates for the "lazy eye," so the child with amblyopia may not be aware of the problem until the better eye is covered.

Strabismus and Amblyopia are easily confused. But as you can see, there is a BIG difference between the two. I am excited to build more confidence and learn more fun exercises this weekend. Keep you posted! Have a great weekend, and I hope you do some learning this weekend too.

April is Autism Awareness Month

Signs of Autism: PSA Provides Parents with a New Look

College of Optometrists in Vision Development Release PSA on Autism & Vision

 

Lack of eye contact, staring at spinning objects or light, fleeting peripheral glances, side viewing, and difficulty attending visually are behaviors typically associated with autism.  Yet these can also be signs that there is a visual component to your child’s challenges.  This April, the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) is participating in Autism Awareness Month and releasing a Public Service Announcement to help educate parents on the visual component to Autism.

As COVD President, Dr. David Damari notes, “Visual problems are very common in individuals with autism. Children on the autism spectrum often have eye coordination and eye movement disorders. For example, when asked to follow an object with their eyes, they usually do not look directly at the object. Instead, they will scan or look off to the side of the object. They might also have difficulty maintaining visual attention. At least one study suggests that more than 20% of those with autism have strabismus (eye turn) and 10% have amblyopia (lazy eye). Other studies support this high incidence of functional vision problems as well.”

Most people don’t realize our eyes are actually part of the brain. So it stands to reason that if someone has a neurological disorder that impacts the brain, their vision would be compromised in some way.  Children with ASD and other neurological disorders don’t complain verbally when their world doesn’t look right; they show us with their behavior.  When vision disorders are treated, one can see improvement in the child’s behavior and how he interacts with the world.

Here is one example of how a child’s behavior changed dramatically once the vision problem was treated.  As a pediatrician, Zach’s mother was aware of the symptoms of autism. While he had many symptoms of autism, he did not meet enough criteria for that diagnosis.  It wasn’t until she took him to a developmental optometrist that she understood how an undiagnosed vision problem could impact his quality of life.

Dr. Janna Jennings shares, “Zach begged me to bring him a loaded gun so he could shoot himself in the head … Since he started wearing the bifocals prescribed by the developmental optometrist a little over two years ago, he has never said another suicidal thing again. After a few months of vision therapy, he stopped saying he was stupid.”  While it took more than bifocals and vision therapy to help Zach fully recover, you can see the impact bifocals and vision therapy can make when there is a visual component to a child’s challenges.

“For this April’s observance of Autism Awareness month,” Damari continues, “we invite everyone to take a few minutes to view our Public Service Announcements and share them with your friends and relatives.”



Please contact us at 615-386-3036 or VT@rdeyes.com to learn more about how vision disorders can impact a child with ASD.