The Wow Vision Therapy Blog

A New Outlook on Vision Therapy- a personal story

 

 

 

 

 

By:  Allyse Donarski

When youths struggle academically or avoid sports, vision problems are likely to be the last thing parents consider.  Though vision therapy has been around for over 70 years, it still seems to be a little known answer for a range of problems.

Vision therapy is known to improve many challenges such as stress-induced headaches, developmental delays, multiple sclerosis, low school grades, acquired brain injuries, sports, tired eyes, crossed or turned eyes, car-sickness, and other every day difficulties for many elementary-age children and teens.

Specialist, Albert Chun, says, “It’s not how clearly they see, it’s about how they use their eyes…There’s a misconception that just because a child has 20/20 vision, everything is A-OK.” Surprisingly, vision problems can be misdiagnosed as ADHD, a common disorder among teens.  The failure to properly merge eyes, track and focus, lead to reading challenges; people with these conditions often are thought to have learning disabilities or ADD, Chun said.

Vision therapy helps the patients develop skills necessary for good vision.  Optical devices, games, and exercises are used to improve the eye-brain activity to make eye movements easier to control and more efficient.  Vision therapy can also help with managed movements, balance, and intellectual abilities. 

Computer games, chosen by the therapist, require the patient to layer images on top of each, other and switch from using the right eye to the left.  These are skills the eyes should be able to do naturally, yet many patients have trouble with.

Another games used in vision therapy is a mechanical board with light-up buttons.  The patient stands on a balance board while using his or her peripheral vision and hand-eye coordination to touch the
lit-up button.

A common activity in vision therapy is jumping on a trampoline while keeping focus on an unmoving object on the wall. Through the process of visual therapy—which could last from one session to three years—the patient learns to correctly process visual information that the brain receives. 

Most programs last from six to nine months, accelerating vision development by the first ten sessions.   The rate that patients start to see and experience improvements will vary, but generally progress is seen within the early stages of vision therapy.  Each session is one-on-one with a therapist, and the selected therapist stays constant through the patient’s process through vision therapy. Wow Vision Therapy,  located in St. Joseph off of Niles Ave., is recognized as one of the top vision therapy practices in The United States.

When the eyes move, align, fixate, and focus together, a whole new world of vision is discovered.  In my own experience with vision therapy, I’ve found that I don’t get the throbbing headaches as I had before from reading only a few paragraphs of a textbook.  I have had 20/20 vision my whole life, so figured whatever I had been experiencing is normal.  Now, after going through vision therapy last summer, learning has become easier, my reading speed has tripled (before it was much below average, and visualizing mental images has become much easier.

Wow Vision Therapy has an entire wall dedicated to their patients’ success stories, explaining how they achieved their personal goals, productivity at work, success in school, consistency in sports, and having more enjoyment of life.

Allyse Donarske is a Senior student reporter and Photo Editor of The Wind-up Magazine, St. Joseph High School, St. Joseph, Michigan

Audrey walks taller thanks to vision therapy!

Binocular vision problems, like convergence insufficiency, can slowly and insidiously rob children of their confidence and self-esteem. The impact of years of near-centered visual stress causing headaches, double vision and loss of productivity in reading and homework took a toll on Audrey. Vision therapy at Wow Vision Therapy successfully restored full binocular visual function, eliminated her headaches and other symptoms. As a result Audrey is happier because she can accomplish more in less time. As her mother states, "Since vision therapy, Audrey walks taller!"

Dr. Fortenbacher frequently writes on the topic of Convergence Insufficiency for the VisionHelp Blog. Click here to read more from Dr. Dan.

 

Convergence Insufficiency (CI) or more severe forms such as strabismus is not just "kid stuff"

Binocular vision problems like Convergence Insufficiency (CI) or more severe forms such as strabismus is not just "kid stuff". It affects adults equally as well. The result of a binocular vision problem can have a serious impact on an adult's quality of life including the fundamentals of reading or in the case of more advanced forms, lead to deficiencies in perception of 3-D vision.

In this VisionHelp Podcast Episode 2 you will hear from two of the world's leading experts, Dr. Leonard J. Press and Dr. Susan Barry. VisionHelp Blogger and prolific author, Dr. Leonard Press, joins the program to discuss this years American Optometric Association (AOA) and presentations regarding 3D technologies and binocular vision.  Dr. Sue Barry, a professor of Neurobiology and author of the book, Fixing My Gaze a Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions, discusses her history with Strabismus and how, through vision therapy, she was able to achieve stereopsis as an adult.

 

Convergence Insufficiency (CI)is an example of a non-strabismic binocular dysfunction that affects 1 in 12, but not Jacob...not anymore!  In this video Jacob describes how he no longer has double vision or headaches with classroom reading, homework assignments and computer tasks.  Better yet, he is now able to read in the car and not get sick! Vision therapy successfully treated Jacob's binocular vision
problem and thus he is on his way to having a great senior year in High School!

 

Dan L. Fortenbacher, O.D., FCOVD

Back to School Vision Checklist - An Interview with Dr. Carl Hillier

One of the leading experts on children's vision, Dr. Carl Hillier, is interviewed and provides a helpfull list of things for parents to look for that are important cues of a vision-related learning problem.

Find more videos like this on Sovoto - The Vision Therapy Connection

Alice in Wonderland...the next wave of 3-D movies serves to help find children with Stereo Blindness

Avatar 3-D has swept the world as the biggest movie of all times largely due to the new 3-D technology used in the production of this block buster film. Yes, 3-D movies have been around for a long time, but what makes Avatar unique is the combination of Polaroid and anaglyph technology in conjunction with an elaborate CG imagery and the new Fusion High Definition Camera system invented by James Cameron, writer and director of Avatar.

This new generation of high definition 3-D cinematography is paving the way for many the future of film making. We will now begin to see a new wave of films with this technology including the latest Walt Disney Pictures: Alice in Wonderland.

Last week Dr. Carl Hillier was interviewed on San Diego Living TV-6. In his segment he talks about stereo blindness and a simple test parents can do with their children with the 3-D glasses to determine if they have suppression utilizing the "vis-a-vi" technique.

This was another excellent news segment for parents and teachers to understand the importance of binocular vision and how these new 3-D movies can be not only very entertaining but also help serve to identify a child who has binocular dysfunction.

Binocular vision problems occur in nearly 15% of the population and are usually treatable. All primary care optometrists are trained to diagnose a binocular problem. If your optometrist identifies a problem with your child's binocular vision, there is help. Office-based vision therapy is safe and proven effective treatment in the majority of cases. If your doctor identifies your child with a binocular vision problem, but does not provide office-based vision therapy, he or she should refer you to a doctor who does. To find a doctor who provides office-based vision therapy go to The College of Optometrists in Vision Development at www.covd.org  and click on the Doctor locator. Look for those doctors who are Board Certified Fellows.

Below is the San Diego Living TV-6 interview with Dr. Hillier:

For Windows Media Play users you can view the TV interview when you click here

If you are a Mac user you can view the TV interview when you click here.

Dan L. Fortenbacher, O.D., FCOVD

From Temple Grandin to Moms Fighting Autism...seeing the vision connection

Statistics from the Autism Society shows that autism is the fastest growing developmental disability in the US. Current studies are suggesting that Autism is occurring in 1 in 110 children with nearly 1.5 million living with this condition. Autism is a spectrum disorder that typically includes pervasive developmental delays in sensory processing. One critical area to a child with Autism can be vision development.

One of the most famous adults with autism is Temple Grandin, PhD., who has been able to rise above the challenges associated with autism. Her story is now being told in the HBO full length feature film entitled  Temple Grandin, staring critically acclaimed actor, Claire Danes. As a testament to her ability to apply herself, Dr. Grandin describes the impact of her vision in her book, Thinking in Pictures, and Other Reports of My Life with Autism.

Expanding this awareness is a new group, Moms Fighting Autism. Moms Fighting Autism is a monthly webinar service dedicated to helping moms who have children with autism. And this month the Moms Fighting Autism Webinar is featuring one of Optometry's leading lecturers, writers and clinicians in the area of Developmental Vision...Dr. Carl Hillier.

Dr. Hillier's webinar is occurring on February 16, 2010 at 6:PM PT. Dr. Hillier will be discussing “Vision and Living Within the Autistic Spectrum,” including Vision Therapy.  To register for this FREE webinar click here.

Dr. Hillier was also recently featured on San Diego 6 News. Click here to see Dr. Hillier's interview with reporter Greg Phillips. The topic was how hidden vision problems can be the cause of your child's reading disabilities.

With greater public awareness of the vision problems associated with autism, more children (and adults) can find the developmental vision care that will help those with autism to lead a more happy and productive life. A good way to find a doctor who specializes in developmental vision care is to go to the College of Optometrists in Vision Development website and search for a Board Certified Fellow in your area.

Dan L. Fortenbacher, O.D.,FCOVD

Does your child need vision therapy?

Arizona Cardinals' Wide-Receiver and Pro Bowl MVP Larry Fitzgerald Encourages Parents to Take Action TODAY

"The public doesn't realize that you need over 15 visual skills to succeed in reading, learning, sports, and in life. Seeing 20/20 is just one of those visual skills," says Larry Fitzgerald, acclaimed Arizona Cardinals 2008 NFC West Champions' wide-receiver.

During the many pre and post Superbowl press interviews, Fitzgerald, explained that one of the keys to his success was having vision therapy as a child. He had a vision problem that was making it difficult to pay attention in school and his grandfather, Dr. Robert Johnson, a developmental optometrist in Chicago, Illinois, diagnosed the vision problem and the appropriate treatment.

Fitzgerald went through vision therapy under his aunt's guidance, Dr. Stephanie Johnson-Brown, who is currently the executive director of the Plano Child Development Center, a not-for-profit vision care service corporation which was co-founded by her father, Dr. Johnson in 1959, which specializes in vision education and the identification and remediation of vision development problems in children and adults.

According to a report from the New Jersey Commission on Business Efficiency of the Public School, "Undiagnosed and untreated vision related learning problems are significant contributors to early reading difficulties and ultimately to special education classification."

"Vision problems can have a serious impact on a child's education. Don't wait to see if this next school year will be better, take action today!" Fitzgerald encourages parents.

One of the most common vision disorders that interferes with reading was recently the focus of a national study funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Eye Institute, on convergence insufficiency. This is a vision problem where the two eyes don't work together in unison the way they are supposed to when one is reading. The result can make reading very difficult.

While at least one out of every 20 school-age children is impacted by convergence insufficiency, there are other visual abnormalities to be considered. It is estimated that over 60% of problem learners have undiagnosed vision problems contributing to their difficulties.

The good news is the majority of these vision problems can be treated with a program of office-based optometric vision therapy. The study by the NEI found that in-office vision therapy was the best treatment for convergence insufficiency.

The five most common signs that a vision problem may be interfering with your child's ability to read and learn are:

1. Skips lines, rereads lines
2. Poor reading comprehension
3. Takes much longer doing homework than it should take
4. Reverses letters like b's into d's when reading
5. Has a short attention span with reading and schoolwork

Any one of these symptoms is a sign of a possible vision problem. A more in-depth symptom checklist is available on College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) website.

If your child has symptoms, do not delay. If you are in the region of Southwest Michigan contact Wow Vision Therapy, or to find a doctor in your area who specializes in vision development and optometric vision therapy go the COVD website,www.covd.org, and click on the doctor locator to find a developmental optometrist near you, preferably a Board Certified Fellow. Look for the initials FCOVD after the doctors name.

Dan L. Fortenbacher, O.D.,FCOVD

What is Happening in a Vision Therapy Session?

What goes on in a vision therapy session? WebMD Daily helps to answer this question by a facinating video news story, entiled "Problem Child? Get Therapy for his Eyes.

Find out more when you view the WebMD "webisode". This will give you a sample of what is going on in a VT session and why patients are getting better when they are in office-based optometric vision therapy.

Problem Child? Get Therapy for his Eyes!

Dan L. Fortenbacher, O.D.,FCOVD