9 Ways People Can Benefit from Vision Therapy:

1) Improve vision related reading and learning problems - The way that eyes move, work together and focus can effect a person's ability to read, process and understand information. Studies have shown that deficiencies in any of these areas can lead to a significant handicap in learning. Vision therapy can help overcome these problems - improving the ability to read and learn.

2) Improve vision in "lazy eye" - Amblyopia, or lazy eye as it is commonly called, is a condition where there is a loss of sight. There are various causes for it. It cannot be corrected with glasses or contact lenses. However, oftentimes, the condition can be greatly improved through vision therapy. And, while for many patients the condition is often undetected for many years, studies show that active vision therapy treatment is effective at any age.

3) Correct cross or turned eyes - Strabismus is a condition when a person is unable to align both eyes simultaneously under normal vision conditions. Contrary to old wives tales, it rarely corrects itself and children do not outgrow it over time. Cosmetic surgery can sometimes be done to align the eye more closely. But by using vision therapy, prisms and prescription lenses, the condition can oftentimes, be corrected non-surgically. (Even if a child has had cosmetic surgery, vision therapy is recommended to help improve the vision function in the eye.)

4) Enhance sports performance - Whether you're a weekend athlete or a serious professional, vision therapy can give you a competitive edge by improving depth perception, hand-and-eye coordination, visual tracking and reaction time.

5) Aid people after a stroke or brain trauma - Double vision, headaches, blurred vision, eye strain, confusion related to visual tasks, difficulty reading, etc. can result after a trauma to the head/brain or a stroke. Vision therapy combined with co-managed rehab. care can increase independence, balance, reduce symptoms, & enhance the benefits from speech, occupational, & physical therapy.

6) Myopia (nearsightedness) prevention, control, and reduction programs - Myopia (nearsightedness) can be controlled safely and effectively for a majority of people! This is one of the best kept secrets in health care today. Without the risks and expense of experimental surgery, nine out of ten people can stop their vision from worsening and in many cases actually reduce their prescription. Techniques used include specialized fitting with modern contact lens materials, reducing eye strain, and nutritional counseling to control metabolic risk factors.

7) Alleviate headaches from visual stress - Muscle contraction "tension" headaches while reading and/or doing deskwork may not be from physical stress. Instead, they may be caused by tired, strained eyes. Vision therapy offers safe, on-going relief - versus a lifetime of medications and side effects.

8) Help tired eyes in the workplace - Even when their workstation is designed correctly, many patients with 20/20 eyesight and healthy eyes experience blurred or uncomfortable vision when looking at a computer monitor. These symptoms often result from faulty eye teaming and focusing skills. Vision therapy, along with prescription computer lenses, is an effective treatment for these problems.

9) Improve skills in visually delayed children - Vision development is often delayed in children with epileptic disorders, cerebral palsy, autistic behaviors, PDD or attention deficit disorder (ADD). Vision therapy is key for helping children build their sensory skills for better learning and function in the activities of daily living.