3070 Bloor St West
M8X 1C4

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Vision Therapy

 Kingsway Eye Care Family Optometry

Academy of Vision Therapy

Kingsway Eye Care Family Optometry is excited to announce the Academy of Vision Therapy. We are proud to introduce  the arrival of Rehabilitative Vision Therapy and Neuro-Developmental Optometric speciality services to our list of expanded health care services.

What is Neuro-Developmental Optometry?

It is important to note the distinction between “Sight” and “Vision” as two different phenomenons. “Sight” is the input of light information into our the eyes that allows us to see “20/20”. “Vision” is the complex neurological processing of information in the brain and integrating it to the rest of our dominant senses that allows us to visually process information for planning and learning. Developmental optometry is a post graduate educational training discipline beyond the traditional 4 years of optometry school. At Kingsway Care Family Optometry, our doctors are post graduate educated in offering developmental optometry services.  Developmental optometry is the foundation for understanding the relationship between the brain,  vision and learning.

What is Rehabilitative Vision Therapy ?

Rehabilitative vision therapy is best described by the following diagram on “The Vision Learning Circles” which describes how vision is formed from all our dynamic integrated senses otherwise known as Visual- Vestibular-Auditory-Learning Senses.   The integrated senses and the “Vision Learning Circles”  helps to explain how vision and learning goes beyond what the eyes sees. Vision, learning and neural plasticity is directly related to the development of our vestibular system, tactile senses and our auditory development. In other words, vision is our brain’s way of interacting with the world, as such we interact with our surroundings through the use of our Visual-Vestibular-Auditory Integration.

“The purpose of vision is to guide and direct learning, and movement is its medium.”

Anti-Gravity

Where is it? Vestibular proprioception to guide our vision. Vestibular input derives 20% of the optic nerve tracts

Establishing anti gravity stabilization is an important developmental milestone of vision and learning. Vestibular movement information is derived from our integrated senses. Vestibular input provides the visual motor actions of our eyes and the rest of our body.

Centering

Where is it? Selecting an object of regard to derive our attention. Involves monocular and binocular movement of the eyes

Centering awareness of the space around you and the integration of our sensory and motor process.  Studies have shown individuals who develop their motor skills and activate their vestibular systems with movement-based activities, were further advanced in cognitive development over other peers.

Identification

What is it? Whereby fixation and accommodation (focusing abilities) play vital roles in identification

Identification of a clear object provides the foundation for visual processing skills such as planning, processing, organizing and behaviour skills.

Speech/Auditory

What do I know about it? The conscious processing of what we see and think

The speech/ auditory processing system is linked with our vestibular system. Our hearing is affected by our balance (vestibular ). They work in unison and contribute to timing rhythm balance, sequence for better balance, body coordination, eye muscle control and visual perception.

“Without the Visual, Vestibular, and Auditory System Working Together, Learning fails….”

At Kingsway Eye Care, rehabilitative vision therapy incorporates on the success of “The Vision Learning Circles “to allow for enhanced neural development of vision at any stage of our lives, activity or lifestyle needs. Recognizing the “The Vision Learning Circles” is important in the successful treatment and recovery of any visual deficits present in our lives.

Who is Vision Therapy for?

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Strabismus and Amblyopia


Vision Therapy to treat Strabismus and Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)

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Traumatic Brain Injury


Vision Therapy to Treat Acquired Traumatic Brain Injury/Concussion

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Vision Therapy Assesment


Vision Performance Assessment and Therapy Session Fees

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How are “Visual Skills” related to learning?

Rehabilitative vision therapy can address learning disabilities often mislabeled on children when in fact, the underlying issues for the poor academic performance are related to poor visual processing skills as resultant of the following core Visual Performance deficiencies below:

1. Accommodative dysfunction (Blur at distance viewing after near work)

2. Ocular Motor Dysfunction (Eye Muscle Control and Coordination)

3. Binocular Alignment and Depth Perception skills (Eye Teaming and Binocular Coordination)

4. Strabismus/Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)

5. Visual Developmental Delays (Functional Visual data processing Skills)

Common symptoms of children in need of rehabilitative vision therapy despite seeing "20/20" at their last eye exam include:

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  • Poor academic success in school despite excellent cognitive skills
  • Double vision (double or overlapping words on the page)
  • Poor hand to eye coordination, such as poor handwriting
  • Prone to car or motion sickness
  • Holds book too close, leans too close to computer screen
  • Skips or repeats lines while reading
  • Dizziness/headaches or nausea when doing near work

Despite being bright with excellent cognitive skills, children can still exhibit vision performance deficiencies that create barriers to their academic success.  It should be noted that vision problems do not cause learning disabilities. However having poor visual skill sets interfere with the visual process skills and can impede remedial efforts. Having good visual skill sets can provide a solid foundation for learning.

Vision therapy and Learning Related Disorders on CNN

“Vision Beyond 20/20”

A Visual Performance Deficiency Can’t Be Detected by Typical Vision Screenings conducted at schools or routine ocular health eye exams

According to the American Optometric Association, 1 in 4 children has an undetected vision  problem that affects their ability to learn. They’re “undetected” because typical school vision screenings or routine eye exams only screen for acuity, or seeing clearly, they don’t address functional vision skills. A Vision Performance Assessment goes beyond a traditional eye exam of whether an individual sees letters correctly.
  A Vision Performance Assessment (VPA) at our office address the following core visual processing skills:

1

Visual Form Discrimination

The ability to determine if two shapes, colors, sizes, positions, or distances are the same or different.

2

Visual Memory / Sequential Memory

The ability to store and retrieve visual information.

3

Visual Motor Integration / Organization

The ability to combine visual input with other sensory input (hand and body movements, balance, hearing, etc.); the ability to transform images from a vertical to a horizontal plane (such as from the blackboard to the desk surface.)

4

Directionality and Laterality

Reversal Frequency (confusing letters or words b, d; p, q; saw, was; etc.)

5

Auditory / Visual Integration

Poor spelling after studying, reading speed is very slow.

6

Visual Spatial Awareness

Ability to recognize 2D, 3D, 4D objects and its effect on math skills, balance, and sports performance.

7

Integration

Integration of vision with other sensory and motor skills.

Exclusive to our Academy of Vision Therapy, we offer the RightEye Reading Analyzer. Based on the results of more than 80 years of foundational studies in conjunction with leading reading research.  The Visagraph is advanced eye movement diagnostic tool to track eye movement coordination, evaluate in-depth view of the efficiency muscle control, tracking and fixation of ones reading

Normal eye movements involves rapid and accurate shifting of the eyes along a line of print or from book to desk to board.  Through the use of advanced infrared diagnostic sensors, an individual’s eye movements are recorded while silently reading text while wearing special goggles. Following the reading passage, a analysis of reading performance comprehension, oculomotor efficiency is evaluated and graphed against normative data to evaluate eye movement deficiencies while reading. The visagraph will allow us to address any hidden barriers to academic success often mislabelled as a latent learning disability when in fact it is due to poor eye teaming skills.