Neuro-Optometric Evaluations & Vision Therapy
Transform your vision with expert neuro-optometric evaluations and vision therapy at Katmai Eye & Vision Center — where brain, eyes and performance meet for real-life results.
What is Neuro-Optometric Vision Evaluations?
Neuro-optometric vision evaluations by a Fellowship trained Doctor in vision development and rehabilitation that evaluate a variety of visual disorders that occur resulting from brain injuries, developmental delay, or other neurological disorders. They have specialized testing depending on the condition to evaluate the current status of the visual system and then treat with lenses, tints and prisms, come up with a therapy plan working with a therapist, or a combination of both.
Patients learn to use their visual abilities in new and more efficient ways by participating in various vision exercises that utilize lenses, prisms, filters, patches and other materials and equipment. Exercises are designed to bring a skill or set of skills to conscious awareness, practice using those skills to mastery so they become automatic.
The overall goal of treatment is to alleviate signs and symptoms of visual function problems, maximize visual and overall performance, meet the patient’s needs and improve the patient’s quality of life.
Common conditions treated are:
- Eye turns (nonsurgical treatment), “lazy eye”, Amblyopia
- Diplopia (double vision) and visual confusion
- Handwriting difficulties
- Anxiety with visual tasks
- Reach and grab inaccuracies because of impaired depth perception
- Vestibular-visual, balance, dizziness and vertigo
- Balance and movement difficulties like drifting when walking, stumbling or falling
- Driving difficulties with lane positioning, proper speed maintenance, multitasking, navigation
- Dizziness or nausea
- Spatial disorientation
- Consistently stays to one side of hallway or room
- Bumps into objects when walking
- Poor walking or posture: leans back on heels, forward, or to one side when walking, standing or seated in a chair
- Perception of the floor being tilted
- Associated neuromotor difficulties with balance, coordination and posture
Vision problems associated with brain injuries can be disabling and increase dependency as well as risk of secondary injury unless treated.
Treatment can involve special therapeutic lenses (worn similar to glasses) or may involve a more in-depth program. Neuro-optometric rehabilitative therapy is a non-invasive process for the rehabilitation of visual, perceptual, and motor disorders. Through individualized programs working one-on-one with a vision therapist, one can learn how to regain control of your vision.
The treatment uses several tools like therapeutic lenses, prisms, filters, patches, electronic targets, and balance boards. Vision therapy helps with many conditions including convergence insufficiency, amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (crossed eyes), focusing problems, and visual processing issues.
Physical therapists use vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) to treat issues related to the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), which helps stabilize vision during head movements. This therapy includes specific exercises designed to improve balance and reduce dizziness by retraining the brain’s response to vestibular input. These exercises are tailored to individual needs and are essential for effective vestibular rehabilitation.
Did you know this about Vision?
One out of four children struggle with reading and learning because of undiagnosed vision problems.
It is estimated that over 60% of problem learners have undiagnosed vision problems.
80% of learning in the classroom is visual.
The majority of vision problems that interfere with reading and learning are very treatable.
Seeing clearly (“20/20”) is just one of 17 visual skills critical to academic success.
According to the American Federation of Teachers, vision plays an important role in our children’s education and that eyes that are not coordinating with each other or wander cause more than just an appearance problem they can cause trouble with:
- Riding a bicycle or driving
- Measuring objects in relation to oneself
- Doing close-up work
- Playing ball sports
- Depth perception (inability to see in 3D)
Specialized rehabilitative therapies:
- OT evaluation and therapy: cognitive and fine motor skills
- PT evaluations and therapy : balance and coordination and posture
- Vestibular-ocular training
- Vestibular-visual, balance, dizziness and vertigo
- Cognitive and memory, daily activity management
- Visual perception, laterality and directionality
- Gross and fine motor skills.
- Post brain injury from strokes, surgery or trauma.
What is Vision Therapy or
Neuro Rehabilitation Therapy?
Neuro Rehabilitation Therapy is a subspecialty in optometry. It is a prescribed treatment used to improve, enhance and/or develop visual function so that the visual system runs more efficiently and automatically. This is done by building stronger, faster, more connected neural pathways regardless of age. We could call it brain therapy!
Patients learn to use their visual abilities in new and more efficient ways by participating in various vision exercises that utilize lenses, prisms, filters, patches and other materials and equipment. Exercises are designed to bring a skill or set of skills to conscious awareness, practice using those skills to mastery so they become automatic.
The overall goal of treatment is to alleviate signs and symptoms of visual function problems, maximize visual and overall performance, meet the patient’s needs and improve the patient’s quality of life.
How Can We Change Brain Function Through Vision Therapy or Neuro Rehabilitation Therapy?
Anybody at any age who has been determined to have a visual problem, developmental delay, reduced performance in school, work or play can benefit from vision therapy. Anyone who feels they are not meeting their potential or working harder than they should to meet their potential. Other individuals may be very symptomatic of vision dysfunction by experiencing headaches, fatigue and blurry or double vision. Anyone that has experienced whiplash or a concussion regardless of if imaging came back normal and feels that they function differently after the accident.
Vision therapy is commonly used for (but not limited to) the following:
- Accommodative dysfunctions
- Ocular motor dysfunctions
- Binocular dysfunctions
- Visual motor disorders
- Visual perceptual disorders
- Post Concussive Syndrome
- Learning related visual problems
- Sensory Integration
- Traumatic brain injury rehabilitation
- Sports vision enhancement
- Strabismus
- Post COVID Syndrome
- Amblyopia
- Myopia control
- Attention deficit disorders
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Convergence Insufficiency
- COVID Long Haulers Syndrome
Make your appointment today with either Dr. Sheryl Lentfer or Dr. Laura Sifferman.