Why Your Child Might Benefit from Vision Therapy

  • By:Dr. Katie Dugan

Is it possible that your child has an undetected vision problem? Even if they have 20/20 vision, other eye problems could be impacting their education and daily activities. As a parent, you need to watch for potential signs that could indicate issues with your child’s eyes. Regular eye exams are an important step to ensure that your child has healthy visual development.

When Is Vision Therapy Necessary?

Vision Therapy is an effective solution that can be used for a variety of problems. Some of the common vision problems that are addressed by Vision Therapy include:

  • Learning and reading difficulties
  • Problems with eye alignment
  • Crossed eyes
  • Lazy eye
  • Double vision

These issues aren’t corrected by prescription lenses. Instead, certain therapies are needed to train the eyes and strengthen the way the eyes and brain interact.

Signs that Vision Therapy is Needed

As a parent, there are several signs that you can watch for which might identify that your child will benefit from vision therapy. Pay attention to the way the child interacts throughout the day. If the child displays any of these signs, then it might be beneficial to schedule an appointment with an experienced developmental optometrist in the area:

  • Difficulty completing homework
  • Abnormally long time to complete assignments in school
  • Mixing up similar letters, such as ‘d’ and ‘b’
  • Difficulty with attention spans when reading or doing schoolwork
  • Unusual mood swings
  • Headaches
  • Blurred vision
  • Poor skills for spelling, writing, and reading
  • Skipping lines or words when reading

In some cases, seemingly unrelated conditions can be helped with Vision Therapy. For example, many children with ADHD, dyslexia, or behavioral issues have benefited from these treatments.

The most responsible thing that you can do is to make sure that you are caring for the overall health of your child. Good visual development plays a foundational role in learning and growth. Schedule an appointment for an optometric diagnosis to see if there is anything that can be done to help your child overcome some of the issues. Call our Temecula office at (951) 302-1331 or our Murrieta office at (951) 600-9226.

Posted in: Vision Therapy