Pediatric & Binocular Vision Therapy in Colorado Springs

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Vision is More than Seeing Clearly

While visual acuity is important, vision is more than just seeing clearly. The eyes must work together to send images to the brain, known as binocular vision.

Compromised binocular vision can affect many everyday tasks, such as reading and writing. Vision therapy can help improve binocular vision deficiencies. Visit one of our Bettner Vision Optometrists if you or a loved one is experiencing a problem with binocular vision, and our binocular vision specialists can help. 

The Importance of Binocular Vision

Binocular vision forms naturally in infancy, usually at around 3 to 4 months old. For some patients, however, it simply doesn’t develop as it should.

Vision therapy provides the tools to develop, rehabilitate, and enhance binocular vision. Without effective binocular vision, someone may struggle with mental and physical activities and experience frustrating symptoms. 

Some symptoms of poor binocular vision include: 

  • Blurred vision
  • Difficulty reading close-up words
  • Double vision
  • Headache
  • Visual fatigue

What is Vision Therapy?

Vision therapy is a non-surgical, personalized set of exercises and activities designed to change how someone interprets and processes visual information. These exercises help the eyes and brain work together more effectively. 

Some of the conditions we can treat with vision therapy include: 

More commonly known as a lazy eye, amblyopia is the loss of clear vision in one of the eyes. It develops when a breakdown occurs with how the brain and eyes work together, causing the brain to rely on one eye for vision, leading to weakened vision in the lesser-used eye.

Convergence insufficiency is an eye coordination disorder where the eyes cannot work together. This condition results in the eyes drifting outward when reading or doing other close-up tasks.

Eye-tracking is the ability to smoothly track a moving object, shift the eye gaze between objects, and keep objects still while the head is moving.

Eye-focusing problems develop from a lack of accommodation, the ability to focus the eyes when looking at a nearby object. Someone may struggle to focus or un-focus the eyes or have difficulty adjusting focus from near to far.

Also known as crossed eyes, strabismus is a condition where the eyes cannot look at the same place together. The eyes may appear crossed because the eyes may turn inward, outward, up, or down.

Visual perception is the brain’s ability to properly process, recognize, and interpret what the eyes see. A visual perception disorder can affect someone’s ability to learn and process information.

Who Is Vision Therapy for?

Vision therapy can be beneficial for anyone at any age. Vision therapy is popular for children because many eye conditions develop in childhood

Binocular vision problems can be difficult to diagnose because they can appear as other issues including anxiety, problems focusing in school, and difficulty learning and reading. 

There are several symptoms related to binocular vision problems, such as: 

  • Blurred vision
  • Difficulty focusing
  • Headaches
  • Ocular discomfort

These issues can lead to a misdiagnosis of a learning disability—children with vision problems are 3 times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD. Sometimes a vision problem can go unnoticed until adulthood.

Whether due to a lack of eye care or a misdiagnosis, binocular vision issues can go undiagnosed into adulthood. Regardless of the reason, adults can benefit from vision therapy. If a problem occurs due to a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or neurological disorder, someone may benefit from neuro-optometric treatment. 

Our Vision Therapy Process

Our vision therapy process involves testing and diagnosis, followed by a customized treatment plan. We begin with a comprehensive eye exam to determine if vision therapy is right for you. This exam includes a discussion about your symptoms and vision or lifestyle challenges. 

A sensorimotor exam occurs if your exam results warrant further testing. This exam involves an in-depth assessment of your eye muscles, eye tracking, focusing ability, and other necessary visual skills. 

After reviewing your results, we can create a personalized vision therapy program for your vision needs. You can expect a schedule of weekly or bi-weekly appointments accompanied by at-home exercises. The length of these sessions will depend on the severity of your symptoms, your expectations, and your goals. 

We may utilize several learning tools to help strengthen your binocular vision, including: 

  • Balance boards
  • Functional exercises
  • Hand-eye coordination exercises
  • Occluders or patches
  • Prisms
  • Specialized filters
  • Specialized video games or computer programs
  • Therapeutic lenses

Improve Your Binocular Vision

Vision therapy can be beneficial for anyone, regardless of age. The personalized treatment plan we create for you can help improve your visual skills and reduce your symptoms. Our team at Bettner Vision is here

Contact us if you’re interested in our vision therapy services.

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Our Address

Bettner Vision is conveniently located in the Marketplace at Briargate, on the corner of North Union Boulevard and Family Place. You can find us beside Sushi Rakkyo and the T-Mobile store.

  • 9205 N Union Blvd. #110
  • Colorado Springs, CO 80920

Contact Information

Hours of Operation

  • Monday: 8:00 AM 5:00 PM
  • Tuesday: 8:00 AM 5:00 PM
  • Wednesday : 8:00 AM 5:00 PM
  • Thursday : 8:00 AM 5:00 PM
  • Friday : 8:00 AM 5:00 PM
  • Saturday: By Appointment
  • Sunday: Closed
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