Benefits of Vision Therapy for Children

Vision therapy is an alternative to eyeglasses, contacts or even eye surgery. Instead of compensating for vision problems, vision therapy aims to team the eye to correct itself. It is a type of physical therapy for the eyes and brain. If your child has trouble reading or learning problems, it could be a vision disorder. Even after corrective lenses, there could still be vision related issues. The main benefits of vision therapy are that it can address these problems and make a positive change in your child’s life, at home and school.

Vision therapy has even helped children with learning disabilities. It is not a quick cure for the issues. However, it addresses and resolves vision problems that may interfere and inhibit the learning process. It is a highly effective and non-surgical treatment for many vision related issues such as:

Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)
Convergence Insufficiency (near vision, eye teaming disorder)
Eye Fatigue
Tracking Problems

Diplopia (double vision)
Lack of Stereopsis (two-eyed depth perception)
Strabismus (cross-eyed, wandering eye, eye turns, etc.)

Benefits of Vision Therapy

According to the American Federation of Teachers, the vast majority of learning is visual. Therefore, proper vision care is crucial in aiding students to learn and reach their full potential. There are vital visual skills that often go untested, in a regular vision screening. This results in many children and parents not even realizing there is a perception issue.

Four main benefits of vision therapy for children are:

Improved reading skills and improvement in handwriting and copying ability.
It addresses and helps certain forms of Dyslexic reading problems.
Aids in the control and prevention of nearsightedness especially when there is a discovery of a presence of slow change focusing.
Improves sports performance by enhancing and strengthens hand-eye coordination, the speed of vision, and peripheral vision reaction time.

How Does Vision Therapy Work?

Similar to other physical therapies, vision therapy is a progressive process where the therapist teaches the patient a series of vision exercises. Therapy is conducted, in the office, 2-3 times a week, lasting between 30 to 60 minutes. The therapist may subscribe supplemental homework to be practiced between appointments. The exercises work to change how a patient processes or interprets visual information.

Our Therapist

Dr. Debra Frenkel, O.D. has over two decades of experience as a developmental optometrist. She specializes in providing vision evaluations and individualized vision therapy programs. If you have questions about how vision therapy can help your child, contact us Since 1984 Dr. Frenkel has dedicated her career to helping patients. Schedule your consultation today!