| Simply stated,vision therapy is to the eye what physical therapy is to the body - a system of non-surgical techniques designed to restore the injured or defective organ to normal. There are two branches of vision therapy: vision therapy eye exercises and optometric vision therapy.
Vision Therapy Eye Exercises
Less than 2% of babies have deformed eyeballs,meaning that visual problems are usually not inherited. The cause of most visual problems is the effect of stress or the aging process on the ciliary muscle,which controls the eye's focusing power. Vision therapy eye exercises increase the strength of the ciliary muscle,resulting in more focusing power.
To accomplish this goal,vision therapy eye exercises include techniques such as ocular calisthenics,hydrotherapy,stress reduction,light therapy,biofeedback,and acupressure. The question is,how much improvement is realistically possible?
Vision therapy eye exercises have been proven effective in clinical studies,but not everyone who uses them will regain normal vision. Here are the results of a recent clinical study of vision therapy eye exercises (www.visiontherapy.net) that was submitted for publication in the Journal of the American Optometric Association:
"21 subjects with common visual problems including myopia,presbyopia,hyperopia,and astigmatism completed a 6 week course of eye exercises. 19 subjects obtained improvements in refractive error,19 subjects obtained improvements in visual acuity,and 16 subjects reduced their dependency on corrective lenses so they no longer needed them or only wore them part of the time."
Studies like these show that if your eyesight is starting to go bad,vision therapy eye exercises can usually restore normal vision and help you avoid corrective lenses. If you already wear corrective lenses,vision therapy eye exercises can usually reduce or eliminate your dependency on them.
Optometric Vision Therapy
In contrast to vision therapy eye exercises,which are done at home,optometric vision therapy is done in an eye doctor's office using lenses and prisms. The goal is to improve eye tracking,crossed eyes,and reading disabilities. Optometric vision therapy is also known as optometric visual training.
Not surprisingly,many eye doctors are opposed to vision therapy eye exercises because they reduce dependency on corrective lenses,which are the eye doctor’s main source of income. Nevertheless,eye doctors known as "behavioral
optometrists"usually offer vision therapy eye exercises in addition to optometric vision therapy.
Will Vision Therapy Work For You?
If you continue to rely on corrective lenses,your vision will deteriorate as your glasses become stronger and your eyes become weaker. In contrast,most vision therapy programs will give you a significant improvement. However,beware of programs such as the Bates Method that promise to help you "throw away your glasses and regain perfect vision." These claims are not supported by the clinical evidence and are probably exaggerated.
Author Information
Dr. Beresford is President of the American Vision Institute,which was founded in 1979 and is dedicated to research and development of vision therapy eye exercises. The American Vision Institute publishes the Power Vision Program,which was developed with Dr. Merrill J. Allen (Indiana University) and Dr. Francis A. Young (Washington State University). www.visiontherapy.net
Dr. Beresford can be contacted at visiontherapy.2020@yahoo.com
For more information about eye exercises please visit on http://www.visiontherapy.net/ |
