Vision Therapy in Chicago Ridge, IL, Tinley Park, IL, and Munster, IN

Vision therapy (VT) is a collection of nonsurgical approaches that are used to help improve visual skills and abilities. The goal of treatment is to address convergence insufficiency (CI) or tracking deficiency. This condition affects near vision and muscle eye coordination and is common in young children. There are a series of muscles that are responsible for eye movement. When working normally, the eyes move together to focus on an object. Each eye then sends a signal to the brain to interpret those images together, creating one three-dimensional image. With convergence insufficiency, a child is unable to direct both eyes at near objects simultaneously. Being unable to follow or track images with both eyes at once leads to blurred vision, double vision, and headaches. Most children also find it difficult to read or cannot sit still in the classroom for long periods of time due to their inability to focus their eyes on a singular object. Convergence insufficiency is often confused with attention deficient disorder. To learn more, call Ticho Eye Associates in Chicago Ridge, IL, Tinley Park, IL, or Munster, IN.

The best way to determine if your child needs vision therapy is to have their vision and eyes examined by a board-certified ophthalmologist. We will assess whether the patient can see clearly, if their eyes work together, and if the patient understands what images they are looking at. From there, we will build a custom treatment program of eye exercises to help the patient to control their eyes to focus, team together, and move simultaneously. This will help improve vision, eye efficiency, and comfort.

These programs are usually performed under the supervision of a skilled eye care specialist within a controlled environment 1 – 2 times a week for 30 – 60 minutes in addition to homework. Vision therapy may involve the use of:

• Therapeutic lenses
• Prisms or filters
• Eye patches
• Electronic simulations
• Timing and tracking exercises
• Other unique vision therapy activities

At Ticho Eye Associates, we'll perform a sensory-motor evaluation to assess how the eyes are aligned, detect whether a patient is using both eyes at the same time, identify what images the right and the left eye see, and test for depth perception. From there, we will design a custom vision therapy program for your child to improve these issues. To schedule a vision screening, call any one of our offices in Chicago Ridge, IL, Tinley Park, IL, and Munster, IN. We look forward to helping your child achieve better vision.