When Do You Know Glasses Aren't Enough?

Woman having trouble seeing with glasses

When Glasses Aren't Enough, Vision Therapy Can Help

Do you wear glasses or contact lenses yet still have trouble reading or seeing clearly? Vision therapy, an innovative treatment option that enhances the brain/eye connection, may offer an ideal solution to your vision problems.

How You Can Tell if You Can Benefit from Vision Therapy

Your corrected vision may be 20/20 with contact lenses or eyeglasses, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you have perfect vision. Visual acuity, the ability to see images clearly, is just one aspect of good vision. If your eyes don't work together as a team, you have trouble focusing on near objects, or your brain struggles to process the impulses it receives from your eyes, you may find it difficult to read, drive or perform other everyday tasks.

Signs and symptoms that may indicate that you have a problem include:

  • Moving Words. Reading is challenging when the words and letters seem to jump or drift on the page.
  • Backward Letters and Numbers. Writing numbers and letters backward isn't always a sign of dyslexia. In some cases, the problem can be caused by a visual processing issue in the brain.
  • Memory Problems. Both short- and long-term memory issues can be related to vision and may occur if your brain doesn't process and store images properly. Vision issues may also make it difficult to remember information just minutes after you read it.
  • Double Vision. Double vision may be a problem if you have strabismus (crossed eyes), muscle or nerve issues, convergence insufficiency (difficulty focusing on near objects, amblyopia (lazy eye) or visual processing problems.
  • Squinting and Head Tilting. Seeing clearly may involve squinting, closing one eye or tilting your head in an uncomfortable position if you have amblyopia (lazy eye). The condition occurs when the brain ignores the information it receives from one eye and is often associated with strabismus.
  • Poor Handwriting. The ability to write legibly and copy information correctly can also be related to a vision condition.
  • Eyestrain and Headaches. Eyestrain, headaches and tight muscles in your neck and shoulders can occur if your eyes must work harder than normal.
  • Poor Depth Perception or Coordination. Do you often trip or have trouble judging distances or catching a ball? Natural clumsiness may not be the cause of your problem. Issues with coordination and depth perception can be symptoms of several types of visual disorders.
  • Difficulty at Work or School. Excelling at work or school is difficult if you have a vision condition that makes it difficult to read, identify images or remember what you read.
  • Short Attention Span and Fatigue. Struggling to read or see clearly can be exhausting. If you're ready for a nap after reading a page or two or you have trouble concentrating for long periods of time, a vision condition may be to blame for your symptoms.
  • Trouble with Sports. Good usable vision is essential for sports performance. Difficulty tracking balls in the sky, determining where a ball will land and keeping track of other players may be related to an undiagnosed vision problem.
  • Motion Sickness. Do you feel sick when riding in cars, trains or planes, or even while viewing a jerky video? Your brain may be receiving conflicting information regarding motion from your eyes and your body.
  • Difficulty Recovering from a Stroke or Concussion. Strokes and concussions can alter your brain's ability to process the information it receives from your eyes and may affect tracking, balance, peripheral vision or focusing ability.

How Vision Therapy Can Help You

Vision therapy involves computer games, activities, and devices that help train your brain and eyes to work together more effectively. The therapy is often used to treat amblyopia, strabismus, and double visions and problems caused by eye teaming, focusing, tracking, eye movement, visual memory or processing issues.

Age is no barrier when it comes to vision therapy. Although the therapy is often recommended for children, it's just as beneficial for adults, even those who've lived with their symptoms for years.

Could you benefit from vision therapy? Contact us to schedule a visit.

Sources:

All About Vision: Vision Therapy for Children

Optometrists Network: Successful Improvement of Eyesight with Therapy for Patients with Lazy Eye Proven Possible at Later Ages by Many New Studies

College of Optometrists in Vision Development: Forward Progress from Backward Letters, 8/5/16

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