Vision Therapy

Effective vision comes down to the way the brain and eyes interact. Whether reading words on the board, catching a ball, or tying our shoelaces, we rely on our visual system to work properly: eyes focusing, eyes moving accurately and both eyes looking at the same image.

Someone can pass all vision screening exams by reading charts on the wall, but still struggle with poor hand-eye coordination, reading problems, diminished focus, strabismus, convergence insufficiency, and amblyopia — all of which can be effectively addressed through Vision Therapy.

Bright Eyes Family Vision Care began offering Vision Therapy in 2008 and we have helped hundreds of patients achieve success! At both the Westchase Family office and the New Tampa Kids office, we offer effective, results-driven, affordable Vision Therapy programs customized to each patient – whether a child, teen or adult.

Most therapy programs consist of weekly in-office therapy appointments combined with home practice activities, with evaluations every 2 months. The one-on-one therapy sessions are fun but challenging, guiding patients to improve visual skills that will help them through life.

Contact our office to learn how Dr. Knighton and Dr. Bonilla-Warford can help you or your child function better in day-to-day life. Our Vision Therapy team is happy to answer questions

Frequently Asked Questions About Vision Therapy

What is Vision Therapy?

Vision Therapy, as prescribed by optometrists, is a custom program of activities and exercises to retrain the brain and eyes to work better as a team and improve vision functioning. The aim of vision therapy is to enhance eye-tracking, focusing and eye teaming abilities, as well as hand-eye coordination and visual processing speed. This is effective for those struggling with reading, memory, focus, balance, fixation, picking out an object out of the background — and a wide range of other visual tasks.

Vision therapy is not only for children but can also be effective for adults — particularly if they are determined to improve their visual abilities and strictly adhere to the program.

What conditions are treatable by Vision Therapy?

Vision Therapy is prescribed for specific visual conditions such as eye coordination, tracking, amblyopia, intermittent blurry vision, and vision processing issues. Improving these visual symptoms may also benefit other areas in life, such as improved reading, depth perception and hand-eye coordination.

Here are some of the most common visual diagnoses treatable by Vision Therapy:
 

• Convergence Insufficiency

  • Convergence insufficiency is a decreased ability to move our two eyes inward on near objects such as phones, tablets, computers and books. Symptoms may include eye strain, headaches, double vision, difficulty reading, avoidance of near work, poor sports performance and dizziness. With Vision Therapy, patients can learn to control their eyes moving in and out, reducing symptoms.

• Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)

  • Amblyopia or “lazy eye” is a decrease in visual acuity in one or both eyes, which initially cannot be corrected with glasses. Amblyopia is caused by a weak connection in the brain, especially when there is a difference in what each eye can see. The brain pays full attention to the “good eye”, while ignoring the blurry or “lazy eye”. Symptoms may include poor hand-eye coordination, poor depth perception, and avoidance of visually demanding tasks.

  • Traditionally, patching the better-seeing eye was the only method used to treat amblyopia. It is, however, very uncomfortable and offers limited results past a certain age. Vision Therapy can help many patients of all ages improve visual acuity, eye coordination and depth perception.

• Strabismus (Eye Turn)

  • Strabismus, also known as an “eye turn”, “cross-eye”, exotropia or esotropia. This is a condition characterized by the improper alignment of the eyes. One of the eyes may look straight ahead, while the other eye may turn inward, outward, upward, or downward. Symptoms may include blurred vision, double vision, poor depth perception, and frustration. Vision Therapy can be a very effective treatment for intermittent strabismus. It helps correct the eye misalignment and trains the brain to use both eyes simultaneously, thus merging the images seen by each eye into one consolidated image.

• Accommodative Insufficiency

  • Accommodation is the ability to focus clearly on near objects. When reading, if the eyes start getting blurry within a few minutes, it is an issue of under-focusing. Symptoms include occasional blurry vision, poor accuracy, eyestrain, headaches and avoidance of reading. By using lenses and free-space activities, Vision Therapy can teach patients to control how their eyes change focus from near to far, resulting in the ability to focus for long periods of time without strain.

• Tracking Disorders: Pursuits and Saccades

  • Eyes must move to track a moving target or a line of text (pursuits), and they need to accurately shift from one point to another (saccades). Symptoms of Oculomotor Dysfunction include losing place while reading, poor hand-eye coordination, poor reading comprehension and distractibility. Vision Therapy can train patients to improve tracking abilities, which will improve schoolwork and attention.

• Vision Processing Disorders

  • Vision Information Processing is the interpretation of visual input. In patients with physical eye coordination issues, skills such as Visual Spatial Memory, Visual Motor Integration and Visual Discrimination may be lower than average. Prior to starting Vision Therapy, our therapists will conduct a battery of Visual Perceptual Testing. We can address any Vision Information Processing during therapy sessions.

• Anyone seeking to reach peak performance in sports (Sports Vision Training)

  • Seeing “20/20” is only one component of how your vision affects how well you play your sport. Vision involves many interrelated skills that are needed for athletics, such as tracking, focusing, peripheral awareness and depth perception. Dr. Beth Knighton, our sports vision specialist, can evaluate your visual skills in relation to your specific sport demands and develop a personalized treatment plan for you, which may include sports vision training to enhance your visual skills.

How does my child get tested for Vision Therapy?

Patients may be referred from another eye doctor for Vision Therapy if they diagnose a vision problem not treatable with glasses or contacts alone, such as eye turns, amblyopia (lazy eye) or tracking issues.
 

At Bright Eyes, the first step is a Binocular Vision Evaluation (BVE). This evaluation is different from a regular eye exam because it measures eye movement control, tracking, eye coordination and alignment, control of focus near to far, as well as fine-tuning the eyeglass prescription.

The BVE takes about 60 minutes, and is scheduled with the doctor on weekday mornings only. The doctor writes up a report of their findings, recommendations and educational accommodations. Then a conference is scheduled for 30-45 minutes via Zoom, usually 1 week after testing. The fee for the Binocular Vision Evaluation is $450 for adults, $395 for children 5 and older, and $290 for children under 5.
 

Do I need a referral from a doctor?

Generally, you do not need a referral to schedule a Binocular Vision Evaluation. You can contact us directly to schedule an evaluation for yourself or your child.

Is Vision Therapy the only solution to these vision problems?

It depends. Our doctors will discuss their recommendations at the conference, but other treatment options for some of these visual conditions may include:
 

• Eyeglass Prescription: Often the first step for improving vision is having the most accurate prescription! Our doctors will help find the most comfortable prescription for you or your child, and we often see patients for a second opinion.

• Reading glasses or Bifocal lenses: For some patients, reading glasses or a bifocal lens will help ease the eyestrain they are experiencing. It may sound unusual for a child to wear reading glasses, but it can significantly help!

• Shaw Lenses: Shaw Lenses are prescribed to help patients with amblyopia due to different prescriptions in each eye. These custom-designed lenses modify the thickness and curvature of each lens to “even out” and align what each eye sees. This can reduce the need for patching, and in young children can help resolve amblyopia without additional treatments!

• School Accommodations: Sometimes kids need a little help in school, in addition to glasses or Vision Therapy. Our doctors can help by writing letters for your child’s 504 plan or for other medical professionals.

• Surgery: Eye turns are complicated. While Vision Therapy can correct most oculomotor and accommodative issues, there are times when surgical correction of eye turns may have better results for patients. Sometimes surgery in combination with Vision Therapy is best. Our doctors will thoroughly evaluate and measure the alignment of the eyes, and will discuss all treatment options honestly. Sometimes a second opinion will help patients and families make the best choice for their loved one.

​​​​What is the Vision Therapy program offered by Bright Eyes?

• Our Vision Therapy Program typically consists of a weekly 45-minute in-office sessionsand regular home therapy, approximately 15-minutes per day. Patients work one-on-one with a vision therapist, who gets to know their personality and motivations.

• At Bright Eyes, we want Vision Therapy to be fun and engaging, as well as challenging. The more the patient participates, the better progress they will see. Activities include eye tracking, hand-eye coordination, red/green lens filters, 3-D images, and computer-based vision games. Activities are customized, to find the right level of difficulty for each patient. All materials for home activities will be provided.

• A patient’s progress is measured through periodic evaluations with the doctor. The doctors expect noticeable improvements and positive changes in the patient’s visual functions at each evaluation. The findings at each evaluation visit will guide the subsequent therapy visits.

• Most patients can complete Vision Therapy within 8 months, depending on their dedication to in-session and at-home practice. However, the program can range from a few weeks to one year, depending on the severity of the diagnosis, eye health, and patient compliance. Over the course of the program, the eye doctor will decide how many visits are required to achieve optimal results.

• Patients often ask us about Virtual Vision Therapy or Remote VT. For some patients driving from 2+ hours away, we may be able to arrange for some (but not all) sessions to be over Zoom. This takes additional preparation from the therapists, patients and parents. Discuss this with the doctor at the Binocular Vision Evaluation conference to see if this is a good option.

• Scheduling weekly Vision Therapy is a challenge for all our families, but the results are worth the effort! Each office has 2-3 therapists available each day, with after-school and limited Saturday appointments available. With high demand for after-school appointments, we often recommend patients start at a less convenient appointment slot and move to their preferred time once it becomes available.

• Keep in mind that Vision Therapy is only recommended when it will have significant benefit to the patient. When you commit to our Vision Therapy program, you or your child’s success is our main priority!

What is the cost of Vision Therapy?

Since our Vision Therapy program can vary from 2 months to 12 months, the fees can vary as well. Vision Therapy averages $4,500 for approximately 7 months of therapy. This includes all sessions, doctor evaluations, materials and phone consultations. We offer several payment plans, such as Care Credit 6-month deferred interest, PayPal Pay Later and payment per unit (every 2 months), as well as a pay-in-full discount. At the conference, we can discuss specific pricing and payment options.

Is Vision Therapy covered by insurance?

Most often, it does not. Vision plans such as VSP or Eyemed only cover well-visits or eyeglasses, not extended testing. Almost all medical insurances in the state of Florida exclude vision therapy as a benefit, designating it as an elective service. Bright Eyes does not accept assignment from insurance companies (except Medicare). We cannot bill medical insurance directly. If your medical insurance offers out-of-network benefits for Vision Therapy, we can provide documentation of payment, codes and medical records so you can apply for out-of-network benefits. Bright Eyes cannot negotiate with insurance companies.