Vision Therapy

Vision therapy can be beneficial for a wide range of people experiencing vision problems. Vision therapy programs can help people manage, and in some cases, overcome the effects of:

• Convergence insufficiency
• Amblyopia (lazy eye)
• Strabismus (poor eye alignment)
• Acquired brain injury, traumatic brain injury, and concussion symptoms
• Neurodegenerative diseases
• Visual field loss
• Stroke symptoms

• Optometric Vision Therapy is the science of developing visual abilities to achieve optimal visual performance and comfort.
• A doctor-prescribed a program of progressive vision procedures designed for high-level learning in the visual system (brain and eyes).
• Performed under the supervision of a specially trained optometrist.
• The goal is to help patients apply their newly developed visual skills and perception to real life.
• Optometric vision therapy is not a specific set of eye exercises and is not simply orthoptics (see below)

• We provide advanced evidence-based vision therapy based on the principles of neuroscience.
• Individualized for each patient’s needs, diagnoses, and goals.
• The doctor-therapist team plan visual activities that create brain changes.
• One-on-one office sessions with highly trained optometric vision therapists.
• Interactive in-office sessions once or twice weekly for 45 minutes.
• Utilizes technology, 3D, virtual reality (Vivid Vision), and real space activities.

• Therapeutic Lenses
• Prisms
• Perceptual learning procedures
• Many different types of 3D technology
• Different types of occlusion and filters
• Balance boards
• Electronic targets and touchscreens with timing mechanisms
• Vision therapy software
• Vision therapy activities in a virtual reality platform (Vivid Vision)
• Many other special tools designed for specific eye-brain learning

• Yes! We use vision therapy activities in a virtual reality platform (Vivid Vision) during office sessions and prescribe other activities for increased therapeutic impact at home.
• Research and clinical experience continue to show this to be a powerful tool toward visual learning and gains for patients.

• Help patients develop or improve foundational visual skills (eye movements, eye focusing, eye teaming) used in every area of life.
• Improve visual comfort, effectiveness, and efficiency for everyday activities, academics, work, or sports.
• Improve visually guided gross and fine motor abilities (eye-hand, eye-foot, eye-body).
• Enhance the brain’s ability to control eye alignment, decrease suppression, and improve coordination of the two eyes as a team.
• Enhance visual perceptual abilities, memory, and visual attention.
• Our ultimate goal is to design the vision therapy activities to guide learning in the visual system toward treating the diagnoses and meeting patient goals.

A publication by the American Optometric Association on Vision as a Collaboration Between Eyes and Brain, co-authored by Dr. Press, concluded: “Information from neuroimaging and insights from cognitive neuroscience demand a significant reformulation of the understanding of vision. Vision occurs neither in the eyes nor in the brain but emerges from the collaboration of the eyes and the rest of the brain. Vision is a pervasive aspect of our existence which permeates all of our activities. Vision develops and, due to neural plasticity, can be enhanced.”

This is why it is so important to understand that optometric vision therapy is different from self-help “eye exercises.” Optometric vision therapy is like physical therapy for the eyes, but with a cognitive or thinking component. Because of the complexity of the visual system, we design individually prescribed therapy plans to address each person’s visual needs.

Advanced vision therapy is more than what many ophthalmologists would define as orthoptics. The treatments used during optometric vision therapy go beyond the limited definition and scope of orthoptics to treat disorders of the visual system, indicative of vision as a collaboration between the eyes and the brain.

The Mind’s Eye Center provides advanced vision therapy based on the principles of neuroscience. We provide treatment for developmental visual problems, vision-related learning problems, visual-motor deficiencies, and perceptual-cognitive deficiencies, and provide visual rehabilitation after acquired brain injury, and visual enhancement training for sport.

Optometric vision therapy is the link that connects the brain to clear eyesight. Eyesight that is 20/20 is not always enough to function well in the activities of daily living, hobbies, school, work, or sports. Sight is not the same as vision. “Eyesight” is a physical process of focusing light within our eyes, whereas “vision” involves our eye-brain ability to derive meaning and make appropriate action based on what is seen. Vision is involved in learning, memory, thinking, executive functions, and attention.

Vision therapy sessions include procedures designed to enhance the brain’s ability to control:

• Eye alignment
• Eye movements and tracking
• Eye teaming
• Eye focusing
• Visual perceptual and cognitive abilities
• Visual attention and memory

It is important to understand why there can be disagreement when comparing the recommendations of optometrists specially trained in vision therapy and other eye doctors or pediatricians. Pediatricians screen for eye problems—and many ophthalmologists and optometrists only examine eye health and eyesight. If they determine that there are no abnormalities with the eye, that’s the end of the discussion. The eyes are fine, therefore there’s no need for vision therapy. This is a shortsighted approach when you consider that vision occurs beyond the eyes.

Simply put, the need for brain-based (neurolearning) vision therapy for patients with conditions such as autism spectrum, ADHD, reading problems, or brain injury has nothing to do with whether eyesight is 20/20 or the eyes are healthy.

​​​​​​​This is why it is so important to understand that optometric vision therapy is different from self-help “eye exercises.” Optometric vision therapy is like physical therapy for the eyes, but with a cognitive or thinking component. Because of the complexity of the visual system, we design individually prescribed therapy plans to address each person’s visual needs.

At The Mind’s Eye Center, Vision Therapy is individually designed for each patient’s needs. The doctor-therapist team design the program based on each patient’s diagnoses, symptoms, visual deficiencies, and their effect on optimal work, school, sport, or hobby performance with each patient’s individual needs and goals in mind.

A therapy program includes weekly or twice weekly office visits working one-on-one with a highly trained Optometric Vision Therapist. The doctor prescribes the therapy and the Dr.-therapist team plans visual activities that create brain changes. The vision therapist is highly trained to coach each patient to achieve high-level learning. Research shows this type of program to be the most successful in addressing patient symptoms and goals and changing brain-eye connections. Visual activities may be prescribed to practice at home for additional reinforcement and learning.

​​​​​​​Regular progress evaluations are scheduled with the doctor to monitor each patient’s progress, goals, and symptoms, and to best individualize the activities. After a patient completes their vision therapy program, the patient is monitored with post-therapy evaluations with one of the specialty doctors.

The Mind’s Eye Center provides advanced evidence-based vision therapy based on the principles of neuroscience. The doctors are residency trained in this specialty and continually pursue post-doctorate continuing education at the highest level in their specialty. The doctors and the optometric vision therapists are continually involved with training, education, teaching, and collaboration in areas of visual development, learning, vision and neuroscience, attention and memory, acquired and traumatic brain injury, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease.

Scientifically proven methodology and genuine care for each patient

There is no procedure or instrument that makes a patient better – it is what the patient learns from the procedure. The doctor-therapist team creates opportunities for learning during the visual activities. The patient must transfer this learning to their daily lives. When they do, we see reduced symptoms and improved quality of life. We accomplish this by using 5 keys (Socratic Method, Learning Theory, Specific Praise, Motivation, and Loading), which have been scientifically proven to be very effective methods of neurolearning and treatment in vision therapy.

Collaboration with other professionals

Our doctors and optometric vision therapists collaborate with other professionals for the best care and co-management of our patients.
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Sharing our passion and expertise

Our doctors have a high commitment to teaching and providing continuing education for eye care physicians, medical physicians, neurologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language therapists. Our doctors also regularly volunteer their time and expertise in the community as well as worldwide. Some of these avenues are Optometric Physicians of Washington, Children’s Task Force, InfantSEE Committee, volunteering and educating school nurses, teachers, and education professionals, teaching at Evergreen Health parent-baby classes, and providing eye health and vision care to the underserved in our community and world.

Yes!

How do we know?

• Real lives are changed
• Scientific research in many professional areas is utilized in the treatments and methodology of optometric vision therapy.
• Some of these areas include vision, perception, neuroplasticity, physiology, cognitive science, learning, education, psychology, neuroscience, and biology.