Neuro Rehabilitative Vision Therapy

 

Dr. McMahon is residency trained in neuro-rehab, pediatric, and vision therapy optometry and is in the process of obtaining her fellowship in the college of vision development (FCOVD). Vision therapy is her passion and if you are in need of vision therapy services we are able to create a personalized program to suit your visual needs. Dr. McMahon was diagnosed with Amblyopia at age 7 and understands and can relate to patients when it comes to binocular vision disorders.

Vision Therapy can be used to treat and/or improve the following:

 

• Strabismus

  • A strabismus is when an eye turns either inward or outward, it is a misalignment of the eyes that can be present some of the time or all the time. It can affect one eye or both.

  • Strabismus can cause eyestrain and lack of depth perception and can affect a person’s balance and ability to navigate through their environment.

  • Vision therapy can help to retrain the brain to communicate effectively with the “lazy eye” and bring back proper alignment (both eyes straight). Depending on the person/case a person could potentially regain binocular “3D” vision with the correct vision therapy program.

 

• Amblyopia

  • Amblyopia is a vision development disorder in which an eye fails to achieve normal visual acuity (clarity of vision), even with prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses.

  • It was once thought that amblyopia could only be treated during a “critical period” of 0-9 years old, but recent research has shown that even adults can improve their visual acuity with the correct prescription and with the help of vision therapy.

  • Amblyopia can be caused by strabismus (see above), a large difference in the prescription of two eyes, or high amounts of prescription in both eyes that was not corrected at an early enough age.

 

• Binocular Vision Disorders

  • When both eyes do not work efficiently together this can cause eyestrain, blurry vision, dizziness, car sickness, and problems with reading or learning

  • Vision therapy retrains the eyes and brain to work as a team in an efficient, comfortable manner.

 

• Tracking and Pursuit Disorders

  • Poor tracking and pursuit ability is found in many of the patients with the diagnoses listed above (amblyopia, strabismus, binocular vision disorders).

  • A patient who cannot track or pursue an object appropriately with their eyes can have problems with reading fluently, driving, playing sports, or navigating their environment.

 

• Post Trauma Vision Syndrome

  • Have you suffered from a concussion, stroke, or surgery that has left you dizzy, uneasy navigating your environment, or an unnatural head/neck posture?

  • A binocular/neuro rehabilitative exam can help diagnose if your eyes are playing a role in your everyday discomfort.

  • A pair of prescription glasses with prism, vision therapy, or a combination of both may help alleviate or eliminate issues following the neurological insult.

 

What does a vision therapy program look like?

• Vision therapy is done in office 1 or 2 times a week with the doctor for a 45-minute session. Weekly at home exercises are given to help reinforce what has been learned in office that week and are to be done for 10-15 minutes per day in between in-office sessions.

• A vision therapy program is as individualized as the person. Therefore the length of treatment varies depending on the diagnosis, age, and motivation of the patient.

 

Is my child too young, or am I too old for Vision Therapy?

• No! Everyone can benefit from vision therapy, no matter the age

• Depending on the maturity of a child, in-office vision therapy could start in the toddler years. The doctor would make an evaluation of the child and determine if in-office therapy, home therapy, or prescription glasses would be best. Depending on the diagnosis, some therapy can wait until the child is older (4-5 yr).

 

Is Vision Therapy Covered by my insurance?

• For certain diagnoses, some major medical policies that are PPO (such as BCBS, United, etc) will partially cover some of the therapy cost, but it is unknown until we bill whether or not they will cover the procedures.

• Vision plans like VSP or Eyemed do not cover vision therapy, only some major medical plans.

• If your diagnosis is not covered by major medical, vision therapy can be paid with a health savings account, cash or credit.