Vision Therapy
Some visual conditions cannot be treated adequately with just glasses, contact lenses and/or patching, and are best resolved through a program of Vision Therapy. To learn more about some of the ways Vision Therapy can help you, click on the links below:
- Learning-related Vision Problems (including dyslexia, reading problems, and ADD/ADHD)
- Poor Binocular (2-eyed) Coordination (including binocular vision, eye tracking, and depth perception)
- Convergence Insufficiency (common near vision disorder)
- Amblyopia, Diplopia, and Strabismus (including lazy eye, double vision, cross-eyed, wandering eye, eye turns, etc.)
- Stress-related Visual Problems (including blurred vision, visual stress from reading and computers, eye strain headaches, and/or vision-induced stomachaches or motion sickness)
- Visual Rehabilitation for Special Needs due to Injury/Illness (including traumatic brain injury [TBI], stroke, birth injury, brain damage, head injury, whiplash, cerebral palsy, MS)
- Visual Rehabilitation for Special Needs due to Developmental Delays (including visual perceptual visual-motor deficits, attention deficit disorders [ADD], and autism spectrum disorders)
- Sports Vision Improvement (including sports vision, hand-eye coordination, visual reaction time, peripheral vision, eye focusing, eye tracking and teaming)
What is Vision Therapy?
Vision Therapy is an individualized, supervised, treatment program designed to correct visual-motor and/or perceptual-cognitive deficiencies. Vision Therapy sessions include procedures designed to enhance the brain’s ability to control:
- Eye Alignment
- Eye Tracking and Eye Teaming
- Eye Focusing Abilities
- Eye Movements
- Visual Processing
- Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)
Visual-motor skills and endurance are developed through the use of specialized equipment and optical devices, including therapeutic lenses, prisms, and filters. During the final stages of therapy, the patient’s newly acquired visual skills are reinforced and made automatic through repetition and by integration with motor and cognitive skills.
Who Benefits from Vision Therapy?
Children and adults with the below visual challenges.
1. Learning-related Vision Problems
Vision Therapy can help those individuals who lack the necessary visual skills for effective reading, writing, and learning (i.e., eye movement and focusing skills, convergence, eye-hand activity, visual memory skills, etc.).To learn more about learning-related vision problems, visit any of these web pages on:
- 20-20 Eyesight and 20/20 Eye Screenings – Not Perfect for Learning and School!
- All About Learning Related Vision Problems
- Attention Deficit Disorders (ADD/ADHD),Dyslexia, and Learning Disabilities (LDs)
- Eyesight & Vision: Vision Therapy Helps Students with Reading Problems or Reading Below Grade Level, Handwriting, Homework, Spelling, and Math, etc.
- Eyesight & Vision: Vision Therapy Helps Students Who’ve Been Labeled Attention Deficit (ADHD), Slow Learners, Lazy Students, Behavior Problems, Special Education, Gifted Learning Disabled, etc.
- Vision Therapy as Treatment for Learning Disabilities.
2. Poor Binocular (2-eyed) Coordination
Vision Therapy helps individuals develop normal coordination and teamwork of the two eyes (binocular vision). When the two eyes fail to work together as an effective team, performance in many areas can suffer (reading, sports, depth perception, eye contact, etc.).To learn more about binocular (two-eyed) vision, visit any of these web pages on:
- What is Binocular Vision?
- What is Depth Perception and Stereo Vision?
- Adults and Children Gain Binocular Vision and 3D Depth Perception
- Adults and Children Improve Eye Tracking and Eye Teaming
- What is Seeing Double or Double Vision?
3. Convergence Insufficiency (common near vision disorder)
Recent scientific research – funded by the National Eye Institute and conducted at Mayo Clinic – has proven that in-office Vision Therapy is the best treatment for Convergence Insufficiency.To learn all about Convergence Insufficiency, go to:
- What is Convergence Insufficiency Disorder?
- What is Intermittent Exotropia caused by Convergence Insufficiency?
4. Amblyopia (lazy eye), Diplopia (double vision), and Strabismus (cross-eyed, wandering eye, eye turns, etc.)
Vision Therapy programs offer much higher cure rates for turned eyes and/or lazy eye when compared to eye surgery, glasses, and/or patching, without therapy. The earlier the patient receives Vision Therapy the better, however, our office successfully treats patients well past 21 years of age. Recent scientific research has disproven the long held belief that children with lazy eye, or amblyopia, can’t be helped after age 7.
To learn more about crossed eyes, eye turns, or lazy eye, visit any of these web pages on:
- About Eye Turns: Constant (Always) or Intermittent (Sometimes, Occasionally)
- Amblyopia, Lazy Eye, and Strabismus – Not All The Same!
- Children’s Vision: Amblyopia (Lazy Eye), Strabismus (Crossed Eyes, Cross-eyed, Wall-eyed, Intermittent Exotropia, Hypertropia, Esotropia, etc.), Exophoria…
- Eye Muscle Surgery: Treatment for Strabismus, Lazy Eye, Intermittent Exotropia, etc.
- What is Amblyopia or Lazy Eye?
- What is Convergence Insufficiency Disorder, Intermittent Exotropia, Exophoria?
- What is Seeing Double or Double Vision?
- Vision Therapy Eye Exercises as Treatment for Amblyopia (Lazy Eye), Strabismus (Crossed eyes), Convergence Insufficiency Disorder, etc….
5. Stress-related Visual Problems – Blurred Vision, Visual Stress from Reading and Computers, Eye Strain Headaches, and/or Vision-induced Stomachaches or Motion Sickness
Modern life demands more from our vision than ever before. Many children and adults constantly use their near vision at school, work and home. Environmental stresses on the visual system (including excessive computer use or close work) can induce blurred vision, eyestrain, headaches, etc.To learn about these visual problems and vision therapy, see:
- What is a Common Near Vision Problem and the Leading Cause of Eyestrain, Blurred Vision, Double Vision, and/or Headaches?
- Told They Had 20/20, but Still Had Problems…
- Eye Exercises for Blurred Vision, Blurry Eyesight (Reading and Computer Work)
- Dizziness, Motion Sickness, Eye Strain, Stomachaches, Double Vision…
- Eye Exercises for Eye Strain, Eye Fatigue (Computer Work and Reading)
- Relief from Frequent or Chronic Headaches, Visual Stress, Eyestrain, and/or Stomachaches during or after Reading, School or Office Work
Visual Rehabilitation for Special Needs – Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Stroke, Birth Injury, Brain Damage, Head Injury, Whiplash, Cerebral Palsy, MS, etc.
Vision can be compromised as a result of neurological disorders or trauma to the nervous system. Vision Therapy can effectively treat the visual consequences of brain trauma (including double vision).To learn more about visual rehabilitation with vision therapy, see:
- Visual Rehabilitation following Brain Damage, Birth Injury, Head Injury, Stroke, Acquired Brain Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), etc.
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Blurred Vision, Reading Problems, Double Vision, Eye Pain, Headaches with Reading, Visual Field Loss
- Brain Injury Rehabilitation – Success Stories with Vision Therapy
Visual Rehabilitation for Special Needs – Developmental Delays, Visual Perceptual Visual-Motor Deficits, Attention Deficit Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorders
To learn more about vision therapy as it relates to developmental delays or disorders, see:
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD): Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatments
- Autism Spectrum Disorders: Eye Examinations, Eyesight, Vision Therapy
- Vision Therapy for Visual Perceptual Visual-Motor Deficits
- Article: Diagnosis of Non-Verbal Learning Disorder (NLD), Hidden Disability.
Sports Vision Improvement
Strong visual skills are critical to sports success. Not much happens in sports until your eyes instruct your hands and body as to what to do! We can measure and successfully improve eye-hand coordination, visual reaction time, peripheral vision, eye focusing, eye tracking and teaming, visualization skills, and more. Find out how children and adults improve coordination and sports ability through Vision Therapy.
Vision Therapy can be the answer to many visual problems. Don’t hesitate to contact our office with your questions.
To read definitions of Vision Therapy by outside sources, see What is Vision Therapy? and/or Vision Therapy? Self-help Eye Exercises?. To browse through hundreds of stories written by parents, teachers, adults and children, go to a national of catalog of Vision Therapy Success Stories.
Neuro-optometric Vision Rehabilitation
Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation is the examination and treatment of adult and pediatric patients with visual dysfunction related to conditions such as traumatic brain injury, concussion, stroke, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, or brain tumor.
Neuro-visual problems can manifest as reading difficulties, visual inattention, eyestrain, double vision, visual memory problems, visually related anxiety, balance and postural difficulties, side vision loss, sensitivity to bright light, and other related symptoms or signs.
Dr. Mackowsky is one of only a few eye doctors in the country who has obtained her fellowship status with the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association and is also undergoing certified training in Neuro-Visual Postural Therapy.
Learn more about:
- Conditions Treated by Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation
- Post-Trauma Vision Syndrome
- Loss of Visual Field Due to Brain Injury
Rehabilitative Vision Therapy
We provide optometric vision therapy for focusing problems, eye muscle coordination difficulties, amblyopia (lazy eye), learning-related vision problems, and visually related balance, postural or ambulatory problems.
We also treat adults with work related eyestrain, and athletes with sports vision problems.
Many eye problems can be prevented or rehabilitated when detected and treated early, including conditions like crossed eyes, and nearsightedness due to eye strain. Neuro-optometric rehabilitative optometry treatment may include counter-stress lenses, yoked prisms, and/or neuro-optometric vision rehabilitation.
Our professional staff includes a certified optometric vision therapist who is C.O.V.D. Board Certified in Vision Therapy, and Vision Development.
There’s more to healthy eyes than 20/20 eyesight!
