Reading, Learning and Behavioural Problems

Research has demonstrated that Vision Therapy can be an effective treatment option for many of the visual dysfunctions that interfere with learning and reading such as:

• Ocular Motility Dysfunctions (eye movement disorders)

• Accommodative Disorders (focusing problems)

• Visual Information Processing Disorders, including visual-motor integration and integration with other sensory modalities

• Visual Perception including visual memory (inability to understand and recall information), visual form perception (discriminate differences in size, shape, forms) or visualization (“seeing” in the mind’s eye).

The American Academy of Optometry and the American Optometric Association endorses Vision Therapy
If you would like to explore how Vision Therapy can help with any of the above issues, make an appointment for a Visual Skills Assessment with Dr. Matyas.

Here are definitions of some common dysfunctions that can cause learning disabilities:

Eye Teaming and Binocular Dysfunction

This is an eye coordination problem. Controlling how we aim and use our eye keeps us from seeing double. The ability to use both eyes as a "team," or a single functioning pair, requires our brain to fuse the two separate pictures coming in from each eye into a single image. Weakness in binocular (two-eyed) vision and eye teaming skills often involve numerous difficulties such as Convergence Insufficiency, poor depth perception, or double vision, resulting in decreased reading comprehension.

Eye Tracking or Oculomotor Dysfunction

This is also an eye coordination dysfunction, which involves difficulty with both eyes working to smoothly and efficiently track a moving object and to look from place to place. Children who have this dysfunction have difficulties with reading, such as loss of place, skipping lines, skipping words and lack of fluency and speed.

Convergence Insufficiency

This is a common near binocular vision teaming dysfunction. It involves eye coordination and is the result of poor binocular skills at near point (meaning using both eyes to see a single object close up). A new study by the Mayo Clinic determined that the best way to treat Convergence Insufficiency is Office Based Vision Therapy visits coupled with at least 15 minutes of specific prescribed home activities 5 days a week.

Accommodation Dysfunction

This is a focusing problem. Accommodation is how the eye changes focus from far and near objects; if we consider the eye to be like a camera, accommodation is like the zoom feature of the eye. Shifting focus from far to near and near to far can be difficult. A typical example is when instruction comes from far away and then writing on a paper or computer is required.

Visual-Motor Integration Dysfunction

This is difficulty with eye-hand coordination. It is challenging to process and reproduce visual images by writing or drawing, involving fine motor movements. Copying from the board becomes difficult and handwriting can be sloppy.

Visual Perception Dysfunctions

Difficulties with visual memory (inability to understand and recall what is seen), visual form perception (discriminate differences in size, shape, or form) and visualization (“seeing” in the mind’s eye) can show up in many forms.