Vision Therapy Test (blog-2)

Optometric Vision Therapy

• Most vision therapy performed is prescribed and monitored by an optometrist. For this reason, it is also called optometric vision therapy.

What Vision Therapy Isn't

• It is important not to mistake vision therapy for self-help vision improvement programs advertised online and on television that promise you can "throw away your glasses" after performing a series of eye exercises.

Effectiveness of visual training

1. Strabismus/convergence disorder
2. Amblyopia  
3. Brain or optic nerve injury

• Available evidence shows that visual training in patients who retain some residual vision following a brain or optic nerve injury can improve their field of vision.

Conditions not affected by visual training

There is currently insufficient evidence to support the use of eye exercises for the following disorders:

• Learning disabilities-Dyslexia
• Age-related degenerative conditions such as macular degeneration and glaucoma 
• Refractive Errors and Poor sports vision.

Eye exercises for the correction of visual disorders

A range of eye exercises have been used in home and office based visual training with the aim of correcting visual disorders. These are discussed further below.

1). Pencil push up therapy

• Pencil push up therapy is the eye exercise most commonly prescribed by optometrists. It is an eye exercise in which a pencil is held directly in front, at arm’s length. The pencil is then drawn slowly towards the nose. The exerciser follows the pencil with his/her eyes, trying to keep it in clear focus. When the pencil starts to appear as a double image, the pencil should be drawn away from the nose again. The exercise is repeated several times per session, for several sessions per day. The aim is to correct binocular visual disorders, in particular strabismus.

2). Lens fixation

• Lens fixation is an eye exercise conducted with Professional vision care- Optometrist, using a series of lenses of different strengths. The patient views an object through these lenses to train the eyes to adjust to different visual fields.

3). Prism fixation

• Prism fixation is an eye exercise conducted with Professional vision care- Optometrist, in which the patient looks into a series of prisms with specific orientations. The orientation of the prism will depend on the condition being treated.

4). Shifting fixation

• Shifting fixation is an eye exercise conducted with Professional vision care- Optometrist, in which the patient is required to change focus from near to distant objects. It is used to train the eyes to adjust to different fields of vision.

5). Patching

• Patching is the practice of covering one eye with a patch to encourage the patient to use the alternate eye. In some instances the patient will be asked to carry out exercises, such as focusing on distant letters, while the dominant eye is patched. It is typically used as a treatment for amblyopia.

Eye exercises for the relief of temporary eye irritations

• Eye exercises have also received increasing attention as a means of reducing temporary eye irritations induced by strain from long periods of focused vision. These eye exercises, which are discussed further below, are particularly relevant to, computer users who spend long periods of their working day focusing on a computer screen, and have a high risk of developing eye and visual disorders.

Eye movement

Performing regular exercises particularly for individuals who spend lengthy periods of time looking in a particular direction (e.g. at a computer screen or reading material) by performing the following, simple exercise as under:

• Sit upright, facing and looking forward;Without moving the head, look up and down;Then look left and right while continuing to face forward;Repeat the exercise several times, throughout the day, as the eyes become strained.

Vision rest

• Individuals who spend lengthy periods of time focusing on computer screens need to rest their eyes by focusing on distant objects periodically. Clinical optometrists often suggest the “20/20/20 rule" for visual rest, that is, after 20 minutes of computer use, look at something 20 feet (6 meters ) away, for at least 20 seconds. Computer programs with an appointment reminder function can be utilized to help computer users follow this rule. 

Eye exercises associated with eye damage

Despite the lack of evidence for the efficacy of eye exercises in the treatment of most visual and other disorders, practitioners agree that eye exercises are not typically associated with eye damage, with one exception. A practice called sunning, which first arose in the 1920s but gained popularity mainly in the 1960s, in which an individual looked directly into the sun to normalize their vision, is now known to be associated with an increased risk of a number of eye diseases. 

Eyes are sensitive instruments which can easily become injured or diseased from exposure to sunlight, because of the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Eye diseases associated with sun exposure include the deadly condition squamous cell carcinoma of the eye, as well as a number of conditions which reduce visual acuity, including cataract, ptergyum and age-related macular degeneration.

 For that  precautions should be taken and Optometrist also provides UV-ray protecting lens, Photo-chromatic lenses about which we discuss in Next Upcoming blog.

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