Ophthalmologists often stress that a child’s vision problems must be corrected at a young age or it will be too late when they grow older. They particularly emphasize this with children who have eye turns or lazy eye. But this is not true. You are never too old for vision therapy to help you. I have treated many adult patients who will attest to that.
Vision therapy can help adults who suffer with many symptoms, including:
- Headaches or migraines
- Eyestrain, itchy or watery eyes
- Fatigue, mental and physical
- Focusing issues
- Double vision
- Poor depth perception
- Limited peripheral vision
- Reading comprehension
- Poor memory
- Forgetfulness
- Clumsiness
- Fear of heights
- Motion sickness
- Disliking reading or near work
- Short attention span
- Poor coordination for sports or general movement
- Behavior that is often moody, frustrated, angry, or short-tempered
- Poor self-esteem and self-worth
You may be surprised to learn that all of the above symptoms can be caused by visual deficiencies. Most are not related to 20/20 vision (distance only), but instead are caused by problematic near vision skills not tested for in a basic eye examination. Without a proper developmental vision evaluation, they can go undiagnosed for a lifetime.
But we are here to help! If you recognize any of the above symptoms in yourself, give us a call to schedule an appointment or for more information. We will do an extensive assessment of all areas of your vision and check for disease as well.
There are many common vision troubles that can cause the above symptoms, such as convergence insufficiency (trouble focusing the eyes together); strabismus (eyes turned, crossed or misaligned); amblyopia (lazy eye – one eye does not see clearly even with correction); as well as near- and far-sightedness. In the case of strabismus, while ophthalmologists often recommend surgery at a young age, we strongly advise against this. We can help patients of all ages retrain their brain and eyes to work together optimally for the best vision possible.
We offer many options for adults, such as performance-enhancing lenses, eyestrain-relieving lenses, and colored light therapy for stress, headaches, and other symptoms. Our vision therapy programs are individualized to your specific visual issues. Therapy activities may range from computer games to sports exercises to memorization drills, depending on your needs, age, and interests.
If you have dealt with any of the above challenging situations or symptoms for years and expected to live with them for the rest of your life, please contact us. If they are caused by visual problems, we can help. You’re never too old for vision therapy to change your life!
FROM THE CASE FILES!
Vision Therapy Success Stories from our Office
For the next few months, our newsletter will highlight the stories of adult patients diagnosed and treated in our office successfully through vision therapy.
Patient #1 – Adult Female, age 37, straight A student, career in management
Symptoms:
- Lifetime motion sickness
- Eyestrain, blurred vision, headache, fatigue, and dizziness when reading, doing near work, or using a computer for lengthy periods
- Clumsy, poor coordination
- Short attention span and lack of concentration
- Intermittent memory for visual and auditory information
- Reading comprehension problems, forced to reread often
- Moody, no energy, lack of interest in activities outside of work
- Avoidance of eye contact
- Routinely fell asleep reading
Diagnosis:
- Accommodative Disorder – Problems maintaining accurate, comfortable focus particularly with near work
- Focusing speed and accuracy – Significant difficulty changing focus back and forth from near to far
- Binocular Dysfunction – Eyes did not work together as a team
- Convergence Insufficiency – Inability to converge the eyes together to sustain focus for reading or near work
- Integration of focusing and binocularity – These skills were independent of each other and not working together, causing a great mental effort to do near work and comprehend it
After Vision Therapy:
- Headaches, eyestrain, and fatigue were either completely gone or much improved
- After getting physically sick in every car ride for her entire life, patient has never experienced motion sickness again the past 15 years
- Patient can read for hours without falling asleep
- Memory and comprehension improved
- Patient stopped dropping items, running into things, and tripping over objects
- Became more energetic and interested in life
Vision therapy is for EVERYONE. For more information, do not hesitate to contact our office TODAY to learn more!