Vision Therapy
Do you, or do you know someone that doesn't enjoy reading?
Any person who reads easily will make the most of their skill, whether they enjoy reading a book at bedtime, the back of the cereal packet at breakfast, or somebody else's newspaper on the train. There are a number of reasons why a person may not enjoy reading, actively avoids it, or prefers to read comics or books with pictures, and these can range from subtle visual problems to dyslexia, which often includes a visual element.
In fact because the majority of our learning is by the written word, those who have difficulty in reading, writing or spelling are at a significant disadvantage, even though they may have average or above average intelligence.
Here at The Young Clinic we take a special interest in people who do not enjoy reading, and because reading difficulties are often associated with other developmental problems we work closely with local Educational Psychologist Elvie Brown and Mary Mountstephen who is an Associate Member of the British Dyslexia Association and child development specialist. She has developed individualised assessment and intervention programs, using international research based resources. Her practical books for parents and teachers are available on Amazon.
A normal sight test available on the NHS will not reveal the full extent of visual problems. Indeed, it will frequently return a result that glasses are not required and that nothing is untoward. No. This is a specialist area that requires thorough investigation not just of the eyes but the whole visual system and is outside the scope of the normal high street optometrist.
As a vision therapist I will perform tests that reveal the full extent of any focusing and convergence problems. I will assess the tracking ability and look for signs of visual stress. I will also do this whilst observing the posture and body movements that can reveal just as much information as the responses to my questions.
It is important to remember that asking a child if print is blurred will not elicit a useful response. To know when something is blurred requires that we know what clarity looks like so we can compare the two situations. However for the person who has never perceived clear vision they have no clarity benchmark. Proper investigation requires an open mind and lateral thinking!
Treatment of visual problems can take between 6 weeks to 3 months and may involve glasses, body and eye exercises as well as coloured overlays or lenses. For those who have difficulty getting to the practice for weekly or two weekly visits we may suggest a computer based program if appropriate.
The success of the program depends primarily on the individual and, in the case of the child, his or her parents. The prescribed amount of time must be spent and a conscious effort made to perform the therapy exercises exactly as instructed.
We are aware of how difficult this can be, and we are more than happy to discuss any problems that crop up so that we can help to make the therapy as effective as possible. Please feel free to ring us and we will always ring back if we are in clinic.
If you are interested in finding out if you or your child may benefit from vision therapy you are welcome to download the questionnaire (pdf). This is what we ask new clients to complete before their first appointment, and if you can tick any ‘Yes' answers on the second and third pages then it is more than likely that there is a visual element to the reading difficulty.
Please see our Fees section for current prices.
For more information, please contact us.
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