What is Vision Therapy?

About Vision Therapy

What is vision therapy? The American Optometric Association defines vision therapy as a sequence of neurosensory and neuromuscular activities individually prescribed and monitored by a doctor to develop, rehabilitate and enhance visual skills and processing.

Although vision therapy is a term used by Optometrists; Orthoptists, Optometrists, and Ophthalmologists, all use vision therapy for their patients. The definition of vision therapy includes eye exercises to develop or improve visual skills and abilities; improve visual comfort, ease, and efficiency; and change visual processing or interpretation of visual information. Eye exercises that incorporate lenses, training glasses, prisms, filters, patches, electronic targets, or balance boards may be used. The eye exercises are combined into a vision therapy program.

The vision therapy program is usually based on the results of an eye examination or consultation, and takes into consideration the needs of the patient and the patient's signs and symptoms. It can also take into consideration the results of any standardized tests that are administered.

An optometric vision therapy program usually consists of supervised in-office and at home exercises performed over weeks to months. The length of the therapy program varies depending on the severity of the diagnosed conditions, typically ranging from several months to longer periods of time.

We refer to any non-surgical methods of improving eyesight, such as eye exercise, coordination activities, use of training glasses, patches, etc. as vision therapy.

Recommended vision therapy programs include ImproveYourVision.org’s Vision Therapy System.

Under Articles, also see:

Does Vision Therapy Really Work to naturally improve eyesight?

Why You May Not Know About the Effectiveness of Vision Therapy

Who Can Benefit from Vision Therapy