Optometric Vision Therapy Evaluation

To determine if Optometric vision therapy is appropriate for a patient, an extensive evaluation is performed.  This evaluation includes not only the determination of someone’s visual acuity (sight) at both distance and close and refractive error (existence and amount of nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism) but:

• Depth perception
• Color vision
• Ability to follow an object (oculomotor skills or eye tracking skills)
• Ability to use both eyes together at both distance and near (binocular or eye teaming skills)
• Ability to focus or see clearly at near (accommodation)
• Ability to sustain near focus and eye teaming skills at near

Additional testing may include:

• Developmental testing of motor abilities such as balance
• Eye-hand coordination
• Visual perceptual abilities
• Visual memory abilities
• Figure ground testing
• Visual auditory integration tests
• Further testing to determine ability to improve eye alignment if an eye turn or “lazy eye” exists
• Developmental testing of ability to know ones own right/left

In general,this type of evaluation takes between one and two hours of time.  Consultation with the patient/parent is done at the end of the testing session.  If the child is too tired and is not able to sit through the consultation, then it will be scheduled for another time.  Rescheduling is also possible if it is desired for both parents to be present.

If desired, a report explaining all tests and their results will be written and sent to who ever should receive one (pediatrician, teacher, occupational therapist, etc).  This is done as a courtesy to my patients and there is no additional charge.