Ocular Vision Therapy

Lesley Arkin at our Olney branch offers Ocular Vision Therapy (sometimes called Behavioural Optometry) to help children or adults who have learning difficulties such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Asperger’s syndrome.

This therapy can also assist patients with amblyopia, strabismus, double vision, acquired brain injury and visual symptoms that cannot be alleviated with lenses, as well as athletes who wish to enhance their vision. Most people who would benefit from ocular vision therapy have some or all of the symptoms listed below:

• Frequent headaches with visually demanding tasks
• Loss of place when reading and/or accidentally missing out words.
• Using a finger to keep place when reading.
• Print appearing to jump, wobble or move.
• Working distance extra close when reading or writing.
• Blurred distance or near, particularly after visually demanding tasks, even if you’ve been told your sight is good.
• Difficulty copying from the board or overhead projector.
• Exhaustion at the end of the school or working day.
• Poor judgement of distances
• Poor hand eye co-ordination, poor ball skills, poor handwriting.
• Speech and language better than written work.
• Poor comprehension and/or poor fluency of reading.
• Loss of concentration.

The Optometrist devises an individualised treatment programme designed to improve visual function and performance, with the aim of developing visual skills until they become automatic.

 

The programme includes exercises to aid the sensory integration of vision and motion, sound, speech, touch and other senses. Some of the work is done in the practice, some at home. Length of treatment and extent of success depends on the severity of the symptoms, and may be combined with spectacle lenses, coloured overlays or specific tinted lenses.

If you would like further details contact our Olney branch, or look at www.babo.co.uk website of the British Association of Behavioural Optometry.