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Vision therapy is a treatment program designed
to correct visual-motor and/or perceptual-cognitive deficiencies
which have various causes, such as:
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Inadequate development
of or functioning in both sensory and motor aspects (sensorimotor) |
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Trauma to the nervous system
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Stress |
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Hereditary factors |
Vision therapy trains the entire visual
system which includes eyes, brain and body. Vision therapy is a
form of neurological training or rehabilitation (it can be compared
to some forms of occupational therapy or physical therapy). The
goal of vision therapy is to train the patient's brain to use the
eyes to receive information effectively, comprehend it quickly and
react appropriately.
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Catherine Kennedy O.D.
Dr. Kennedy is a 1978
graduate of the New England College of Optometry in Boston,
MA, specializing in children's vision problems and vision therapy.
Dr. Kennedy was selected to intern at the Gesell Institute of
Human Development in New Haven where she gained valuable experience
in vision development and the behaviorial treatment of vision
problems.
She is a Fellow of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development
(www.covd.org), an organization devoted to assure the provision
of quality behavioral vision care including the treatment of
binocular, perceptual, and developmental vision problems. |
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Vision therapy sessions
include procedures designed to enhance the brain's ability to control
eye alignment, eye movements, focusing abilities, and eye teamwork
(binocular vision). Visual-motor skills and endurance are developed
through the use of specialized computer and optical devices, including
therapeutic lenses, prisms and filters. During the final stages of
therapy, the patient's newly acquired visual skills are reinforced
and made automatic through repetition and by integration with motor
and cognitive skills.
Vision therapy can help children with learning problems.
Vision and sensorimotor deficits can cause eyestrain, headaches, blurred
or double vision, loss of place while reading, and difficulty maintaining
attention on close work. Even intelligent, highly motivated children
can be severely handicapped by these problems in the academic environment.
Correcting these deficits allows affected children to benefit from
academic remediation and to achieve their full potential in the classroom.
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