Vision Therapy

Vision therapy is safe, drug-free and effective for both children and adults. While visual acuity (the “20/20” part of vision) requires glasses to improve, visual skills such as tracking together along a line of text must be learned during development, these skills can also be improved later in life at any age.

The aim of vision therapy is to enhance visual skills — Visual efficiency, focusing, convergence, eye-hand coordination, eye-tracking, visual processing speed and more. It is more than just simple eye exercises & improves brain-eye communication and the effective operating of the child’s visual system.

At Orbit Eye Center we are providing Vision therapy services as a fully customized and personalized treatment program designed to improve and strengthen visual skills and re-train the child’s visual system to interpret visual input with increased accuracy and ease. After the Comprehensive Eye Examination & detailed Binocular Assessment, Vision Therapy is being carried out by using:

Therapeutic lenses
Prisms
Filters
Occluders or patches
Balance boards
A variety of special tools designed for specific and unique vision therapy activities
Electronic targets with timing mechanisms
Specialized Software based Computer Exercises & Programs

Under the supervision of Dr. Walid Abdalla, our Vision Therapy department is working in 2 major domains.

1. Binocular Vision Clinic

The Binocular Vision clinic at Orbit Eye Center aims to train the brain and develop coordination between both (bi) eyes (ocular) in terms of eye-teaming. Binocular Vision Dysfunction can significantly impact the lives of both children and adults and there is a wide range of symptoms to it.

• Treatment of Amblyopia

Amblyopia is commonly known as a “lazy eye” and is described as reduced vision in one eye compared to the other. According to the National Institute of Health, amblyopia is the most common cause of visual impairment among children. A “lazy eye” is not lazy at all. Recent research has shown that amblyopia is a disorder of the brain’s ability to use both eyes together as a team. In addition to poor visual acuity, people with amblyopia are more prone to have difficulties with depth perception, eye movements related to reading and visual decision making while driving.

• Treatment of Convergence Insufficiency & Accommodation Problems

Convergence is the coordinated movement and focus of our both eyes inward on close objects including phones, tablets, computers and books. It is one of the main Visual Skills learned during our early years as we begin to make sense of the world and how to use our eyes to take it all in. Convergence Insufficiency is a common problem with the development of these skills. It means that the eyes do not come together closely enough when looking at a near object. Convergence Insufficiency represents as Eye strain, Headaches, Double vision, Difficulty reading and concentrating, Avoidance of near work, Poor sports performance, Dizziness or motion sickness.

• Treatment of Strabismus

Strabismus or squint is often referred to as crossed eyes, but it can present in several different ways. It can be one eye drifting inward (esotropia), outward (exotropia), upward (hypertropia) or downward (hypotropia). Strabismus most often occurs in babies and toddlers due to heredity or problems during physical development. Besides decreased Visual Acuity, most cases in children are caused by poor communication between the brain, muscles and nerves of the eye. However, it can also occur in adults who have suffered a stroke, head trauma, or diabetes. The condition can lead to double vision, a lack of depth perception and even loss of eyesight if left untreated.

2. Learning Difficulties Clinic

The Learning Difficulties Clinic at Orbit Eye Center is treating the children with Academic challenges.

Up to 80% of all learning comes through visual pathways. Academic challenges for children with reduced visual skills arise on a daily basis and they find it difficult to keep up with grade-level reading or comprehension. Both of these tasks require functional vision skills that may be difficult for the child.

Up to 25% of all children struggle with reading & learning problems because of undiagnosed vision conditions. The child may rush through an assignment to avoid blurry or double vision, headaches and eye fatigue resulting in careless mistakes which can impact their overall academic performance. Any of the following can be affected by vision problems:

Classroom performance
Concentration and attention
Handwriting
Homework completion
Reading comprehension and fluency
Spelling
Visual arts

Research shows that children with special needs may have vision problems that are undiagnosed because their associative behaviors are perceived as part of their special needs diagnosis. It is therefore crucial for parents and caregivers to understand the importance of bringing a child with special needs for eye exams to comprehensively assess both their vision and the functioning of the visual system.

Parents and teachers should be on the lookout for the following red flags that indicate a vision problem: