Home/Resources/What vision therapy is
Vision therapyWhat vision therapy is, and what it is not.
It is one of the most misunderstood services in eye care, partly because the name sounds like it should mean something obvious, and partly because it gets oversold elsewhere.
What it is
Vision therapy is a structured program that works on how the eyes function together: focusing, tracking along a line, and teaming, which is the ability of both eyes to point at the same place comfortably and hold it there.
Those are learned, trainable skills, in the same way balance is. Some children develop them without difficulty. Some do not, and end up working much harder than their classmates to get through the same page.
What it is not
Four things vision therapy is not
- Not a treatment for dyslexia. Dyslexia is a language-processing difference. Vision therapy does not treat it, though a child can have both, and one can mask the other.
- Not a replacement for glasses. If a child needs correction, they need correction.
- Not a cure for a learning disability, and not a substitute for the support a school provides.
- Not something every child needs. Most children who struggle with reading do not need vision therapy.
Who it may be appropriate for
It tends to come up for children who have had a full eye exam, whose eyesight measures well, and who are still struggling with sustained close work: losing their place, getting headaches after homework, or reading far below what the rest of their schoolwork would predict.
It also comes up for adults after concussion or injury, and for some cases of eye turn.
How you would find out
Through an evaluation, not through an article, and not through a checklist. An evaluation measures the specific skills involved and tells you whether they are the problem. Sometimes the answer is no, and that is a useful answer too.
What a program actually looks like
Regular in-office sessions with a therapist, plus short exercises at home between them. It takes months, not weeks, and it takes consistency. Anyone promising a fast fix is describing something else.
Kelli, Sierra and Paige run our vision therapy program in Scottsbluff and Alliance. More about vision therapy at Webb, or ask about an evaluation at any of our three clinics.
Prefer to talk to a doctor than read another article?
Schedule a comprehensive eye exam at the clinic closest to you: Scottsbluff, Alliance or Bridgeport.
Request an Appointment