What Conditions Can Vision Therapy Treat?
Do you experience eyestrain, double or blurry vision, frequent headaches or fatigue when reading, even though you have 20/20 vision or wear glasses or contact lenses? Your symptoms could mean you have a vision condition that can't be detected simply by reading an eye chart. Vision therapy tackles subtle (and not-so-subtle) vision problems by helping your eyes and brain work together more effectively.
10 Conditions That Can Be Improved with Vision Therapy
Your brain and eyes play equally important roles in vision. The eyes capture light, turn it into electrical signals, and send it to the brain. The brain processes, stores, and interprets the information it receives. Unfortunately, even slight glitches in this system can lead to vision problems. For example, your vision might look blurry if there's a slight variation between the two signals sent to the brain or a problem with the way the brain processes the signals.
Common vision problems that can be improved with vision therapy include:
- Convergence Insufficiency. Convergence insufficiency (CI) happens when one eye turns inward more than the other when focusing on near objects. The condition makes it hard to read or look at close objects due to blurry or double vision.
- Strabismus. Also called "crossed eyes," strabismus occurs due to an eye misalignment. Misalignments can be subtle, yet still affect vision. Strabismus symptoms include blurry or double vision, squinting, and problems with depth perception. Four percent of Americans have strabismus, according to the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.
- Amblyopia. Your brain ignores the information from one of your eyes when you have amblyopia, or "lazy eye." This may happen if you have strabismus and your brain becomes confused when it receives very different signals from the eyes. Amblyopia could also occur if one eye is much more nearsighted or farsighted than the other. Amblyopia makes seeing well challenging. You may need to tilt your head or squint to read and may frequently run into the furniture or fall.
- Eye Tracking Problems. You might have an eye tracking problem if you struggle to follow a ball in the sky or or have difficulty moving your eyes smoothly across the page when you read. Other signs of a tracking problem include losing your place easily or noticing that words seem to jump or move when you read.
- Accommodative Dysfunction. An accommodative dysfunction happens when you have trouble switching your focus between objects close by, at mid-range, and in the distance. Blurry vision, double vision, eye strain, fatigue, and headaches can be caused by accommodative dysfunction.
- Visual Processing Disorders. These disorders happen when the brain doesn't process the information it receives efficiently. Signs and symptoms vary depending on the type of visual processing disorder but may include illegible handwriting, difficulty recognizing letters and numbers, reversing letters and numbers, problems copying information, trouble writing on a line or staying in the lines when coloring. Children and adults who have visual processing disorders may struggle with reading and math and might have poor eye-hand coordination.
- Nystagmus. Nystagmus is characterized by jerky, involuntary eye movements. The condition causes blurry vision, poor depth perception, light sensitivity, dizziness, and coordination problems.
- Brain Injuries. Injuries to the brain may cause problems with eye coordination, focusing, depth perception, and other visual skills. Vision therapy improves these skills and can be helpful if you've had a concussion or stroke. Researchers reported that vision therapy can improve issues with convergence insufficiency, accommodation, and eye movement in a study published in Optometry and Vision Science in 2017.
- Computer Vision Syndrome. Computer vision syndrome affects people who use computers or vision devices extensively. Symptoms include blurry or double vision, neck and shoulder pain, fatigue, headaches, and dry, irritated eyes. You may be more likely to develop computer vision syndrome if you have convergence insufficiency, strabismus, amblyopia, accommodative dysfunction, or another vision problem.
Vision therapy improves visual skills with exercises and activities that strengthen the eye/brain connection. Computer and virtual reality games improve eye tracking, focusing, visual processing, tracking, and other skills. Your therapy may also include special aids, like prism lenses that correctly align light rays to ensure the brain receives the same information from both eyes send.
Wondering if vision therapy could help you or a family member? A comprehensive vision exam performed by a vision therapist is the first step in the process. Contact our office to schedule your appointment.
Sources:
American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus: Strabismus: 10/7/2020
https://aapos.org/glossary/strabismus
WebMD: What to Know About Vision Therapy, 1/5/2025
https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/what-to-know-about-vision-therapy
Optometric Vision Development & Rehabilitation Association: What Is Vision Therapy?
https://www.covd.org/page/vision_therapy
All About Vision: What Is (And Isn’t) Vision Therapy for Children?, 2/26/2019
https://www.allaboutvision.com/eye-care/parents-kids/vision-therapy/
Optometry and Vision Science: Vision Therapy for Post-Concussion Vision Disorders, 1/17