Eye Coordination Vision and Vision Therapy
Eye Coordination
It is possible to have 20/20 visual acuity and poor eye coordination/eye-teaming.
Binocular vision (or eye coordination) is the ability of both eyes to work together as a team. Good eye coordination is necessary for engaging in nearly all activities. It allows for 3-D vision, efficient and comfortable reading, focusing from near to far (e.g. in school when looking at the board and then focusing to a book in front of you), and tracking or following objects. An eye coordination problem can cause symptoms such as:
Double vision or seeing two of a certain object
Eyestrain/eye-fatigue or headaches after short periods of reading, computer or near work
Loosing place, missing letter or words or repeating sentences when reading
Difficulty with maintaining attention.
Difficulty with switching focus from near to far or from far to near.
According to recent studies, eye coordination problems are present in 7-8% of children and can significantly impact school performance and sports. 80% of learning is visual and eye-coordination problems can limit how effectively the eyes are used. Eye coordination problems can also present in teenagers and adults.
Concussions and Eye Coordination:
New studies are showing a large number of people who suffer concussions, whiplash injuries or mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) from sports, motor vehicle accidents, etc. present with significant eye coordination problems that cause many of the eye-coordination noted above, including additional symptoms such as: light sensitivity, difficulty with visual motion (e.g. watching a moving car, or scrolling down a page on a computer screen), eye-fatigue and eye-strain with any reading or near work.
A comprehensive eye examination, in addition to a thorough eye-coordination assessment, will identify if there is an eye coordination problem and allow the optometrist to determine a treatment plan. Depending on the type of eye-coordination problems identified, therapeutic glasses with prism lenses or specific lens coatings may be used, in addition to vision therapy.
Vision Therapy
Vision Therapy (VT):
Helps develop or improve fundamental visual skills and abilities
Improves visual comfort, ease, and efficiency
Changes how visual information is processed or interpreted by the eyes and brain.
Is an individualized treatment program designed to treat the symptoms of particular binocular vision problems by improving eye-teaming skills without the use of medication.
Current studies indicate that the most effective way to treat common binocular vision problems is to employ an in-office and home-based vision therapy program. As such, the optometrist at New Dimension Eye Care will devise a unique program for each patient for a certain number of weeks (usually 12 or more). Patients will work with the optometrist weekly in the optometry clinic learning new vision techniques, and will then take-home techniques to be practiced for a short period of time each day. After patients complete the vision therapy program, a follow-up eye-coordination evaluation is done to measure the improvement in eye-coordination/eye-teaming skills and the symptoms.
Due to the nature of eye-coordination problems, continued monitoring after completion of vision therapy is necessary, and maintenance vision therapy may be required.
