Vision Therapy in Western Australia
What Is Vision Therapy?
20/20 vision is but ONE of over 17 important visual skills required to function efficiently to perform well in school or sports.
Children with reduced vision skills may work harder than their peers, yet be unable to achieve the results they seek. Their poor vision skills may also cause them to struggle to concentrate throughout the day.
Vision therapy is an evidence-based program to effectively strengthen the specific vision skills impacting your child and has been clinically proven to increase reading levels, enhance comprehension, maintain longer attention spans and even improve sports performance.
See a difference in your child’s school performance!
If your child has been diagnosed with a reading or learning difficulty or just not reaching their potential at school, or on the sports field, schedule an appointment with our optometric team for a functional eye exam. Over 17 visual skills will be assessed, including eye tracking, reading fluency, focusing and depth perception.
Don’t let your child suffer in silence.
Vision therapy might just be the solution you have been seeking. Talk to us! We’ll help your child maximise their visual skills and resolve any underlying visual problems impacting your child.
How To Know If Your Child Needs Vision Therapy
If your child has any of the following, vision therapy can significantly change his or her life for the better.
- Skipping words or lines while reading
- Still not reading at grade level
- Confusing the letters b, d, p and q
- Rubbing eyes or closing one eye when reading or doing near work
- Holding books too closely or tilting head when reading
- Eyestrain or headaches with schoolwork or computer use
- Difficulty with reading comprehension
- Blurred or double vision when reading
- Avoiding homework
- Poor attention span
- Fidgeting and squirming in the chair
Help Your Child Reach Their Potential With Vision Therapy
At The Focal Point Optometrist we use a holistic approach to vision care. In addition to the usual eye exam, we also test the entire visual system (functional vision exam) to check that it has the developmental maturity, strength, and stamina to function optimally throughout the visual tasks performed on a daily basis.
Once we identify any vulnerable areas within the visual system that could interfere with reading and learning, we develop an effective vision therapy regimen made of individually-tailored eye exercises made to improve visual functions and retrain the brain to interpret visual input more accurately.
Contact The Focal Point Optometrist today for a functional eye exam, or visit us with your concerns regarding your child’s vision, and we’ll be sure to find the best way to treat his or her visual problems.
What is a Behavioural Optometrist?
A Behavioural or Developmental optometrist looks at many different areas of vision in adults and children. Vision is more than just sight. Vision has to coordinate with the rest of the body for balance, movement, reading and writing and is influenced by such things as nutrition, stress levels, medication, health issues and is impacted by the activities that you use your eyes for.
A Behavioural Optometrist will assess the health of the eye and the ability of the eyes to see to the bottom line of the letter chart. They will also assess the mechanical actions of the eyes such as the focus (accommodation), the eye movements (vergence) and the teaming of the eyes (binocular vision). These parts of the eye’s inner workings must have accuracy, stamina and flexibility and be able to work easily and efficiently through a school or work day. If too much effort is going into just using the eyes to keep the picture clear and single then it can detract from a person’s ability to get things done. If vision isn’t working easily and efficiently it can lead to a lack of attention, poor concentration, headaches, fatigue, frustration, and avoidance behaviours.
A Behavioural Optometrist can also test Vision Processing. This is the ability of the brain to interpret the pictures that are being sent through from the eyes. Vision connects through to a large number of areas within the brain that are used for movement and making sense of the world. Because of these brain connections, vision links in with many other parts of the body such as the ears for balance and the body and hands for the visual motor control needed for reading and writing development.
Behavioural Optometrists also study how vision develops throughout childhood to assess if a child is visually ready to learn to read and write at school. This knowledge is also vital to ensure that those with learning disabilities, dyslexia, ADD, developmental delays, autism, or Asperger’s Syndrome are able to reach their full visual potential and are not hindered further by an undiagnosed visual problem.
Why Choose a Behavioural Optometrist:
- explores how someone’s eyes work in the distance but also how they work when reading or using various types of technology
- ensures that the focus, movements and teaming of the eyes are working efficiently and have the stamina for everything that you need them to do
- manages amblyopia and strabismus (turned eyes)
- assesses vision processing skills
- provides vision therapy services
- ensures vision development in children is progressing as it should and is not impacting their ability to learn
- works with children and adults with learning difficulties, dyslexia, ADD, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Parkinsons and those with special needs or who are developmentally delayed and those who have had a stroke or head injury
- takes a holistic approach and uses information from teachers and other professionals to understand everything that is of concern to the person
- understands the health of the eye and how your body health impacts eyes
Vision Therapy May Be What Your Child Always Needed | FAQ
Improve your child’s confidence levels with vision therapy!
Vision therapy is a non-surgical treatment program that is typically compared to physical_therapy, but for the eyes and brain. Vision therapy uses exercises, lenses, specific instruments, and occlusions to enhance visual function.
All vision therapy programs are customised and can result in significant lasting improvements within a relatively short period of time. To learn more, contact us today and discover how we can help your child improve their performances both in school and on the sports field.