Vision Therapy, sometimes referred to as vision training, is a program of correcting or enhancing a persons visual abilities. This may be indicated for the improvement of comfort or clarity in sight and/or the processing of visual information. Vision therapy encompasses both structural and thinking attributes of seeing clearly and comfortably.
 
Vision Therapy at Bassendean Optical
 
To ensure successful outcomes, all of our vision therapy programs are custom-made and individually prescribed for each and every person. Our vision therapist is a trained professional whose aim is to guide and assist you through your individualised program to maximise your success.
 
The majority of programs are conducted in our clinic as research has shown much greater success compared to home activities or computer based programs.
 
Who can benefit from Vision Therapy?
 
There is no age barrier to treating vision problems with vision therapy. Many patients initially don't think they have a vision problem because their clarity of sight is good. Yet sight is only a very small part of the overall process of vision. Instead, vision is the complete process of how the brain and the eyes work together.
 
Consequently, many adults never imagined that many of their life-long difficulties were caused by a vision problem, nor would they have imagined that the effects can be present for years. This difficulties may include:
 
- falling asleep with reading
- closing one eye to read
- always avoiding reading
- sore or tired eyes
- finding it difficult to make eye contact
- difficulty judging distances while driving or playing sport
- headaches after reading or editing complex text
 
How can Vision Therapy help my child?
 
If you are sharing your child's frustrations with school-work, then Vision Therapy may be the key to unlocking your child's potential...
 
Imagine no more fights over homework, a child who is not cranky and tired after school, a child who enjoys reading, is happy to complete their work and has renewed self confidence.
 
Vision therapy is not a replacement for reading tuition, remediation, or phonic awareness training. It does not 'cure' dyslexia, ADHD/ADD, or academic difficulties. So why do it? There are many good reasons: 
 
- even something that appears as 'simple' as an eye-teaming problem can have a dramatic impact on both children and adults. Available concentration is 'burnt up' by the need to concentrate on the mechanics of seeing. Obvious symptoms include headaches, eye-strain, or complaints of blur. Less obvious symptoms include avoidance, concentration loss, reduced reading fluency. Vision problems may be a primary barrier to learning or they may be a further burden to a child with other difficulties, such as ADHD.
- research has demonstrated that children can improve in some reading skills and mathematical ability from vision therapy alone
- failure to acquire good visual processing skills is a reliable predictor of future academic performance, as vision is the dominant sensory process.
- a phonetic or phonic approach to reading requires the ability to hold visual attention.
- the eyes should quickly and easily recognise letter and words. Fatigue of the eye muscles that hod visual attention may explain why some children start out reading well in the early grades, only to start to encounter difficulties after grade 2 or 3.