1. VISION THERAPY:  (also known as vision training, visual training, visual therapy, eye training, behavioral optometry or orthoptic therapy):
Vision therapy can be described as physical therapy for the visual system which includes the brain and eyes. Through a series of progressive therapeutic procedures (eye exercises), patients develop or recover normal visual skills. Vision therapy is remarkably successful in rehabilitating all types of binocular vision impairments including be not limited to amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus, esotropia, exotropia, hyperphoria, loss of binocular fusion due to hyperopia (farsightedness), loss of binocular vision due to trauma, loss of binocular vision due to neurologic insult, myopia (nearsightedness) or astigmatism in one eye. In regards to the development or recovery of binocular vision, vision therapy is much more successful than surgery or glasses alone.

2. Who Can Benefit From Vision Therapy?
Patients of all ages can benefit from vision therapy. The nature of the therapy program varies with the condition treated. For example,a 40 year old diagnosied with MS that is beginning to see double and not able to read, an eighty yaer old that suffered a stroke and does not see to the right and can not concentrate when trying to read, a 60 year oldwith Parkinson's Disease that is having a difficult time reading even though his eye doctor tells him he has 20/20 vision, a three year-old child with amblyopia, or "lazy eye", might have the better eye patched for a short period of time, an eight year old with strabismus "crossed eye", may require therapy for a period of a year to to gain BOTH cosmetic and visual benefits (the two eyes will appear straight AND will be used as a binocular team for normal vision), a 30 year-old computer programmer may require three to six months to solve a visual problem causing significant eye strain. A 30 year-old with strabismus who had two or more unsuccessful surgeries as a child might require two or more years of therapy. For additional information on patients with dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, and other conditions related to visual perception and information processing cotact our office.
Vision therapy can improve visual skills such as stereopsis, binocular coordination, binocular fusion, eye teaming skills, convergence, visual acuity, focusing skills, stereoscopic vision, depth perception, eye tracking, fixation skills, visual form discrimination, visual memory, hyperopia, and visual motor integration (balance, body coordination, hand-eye coordination).

3. Is Vision Therapy New?
Although Vision Therapy is currently an Optometric specialty, it is actually an outgrowth of orthoptics. Orthoptics, which literally means "straightening of the eyes", was introduced to this country by physicians in the late 1800's. As physicians became more focused on eyeglasses, medication , and surgery, the benefits of orthoptics were taught to fewer and fewer practitioners. However, optometrists in the mid 1900's took the best that orthoptics had to offer, and pioneered the development of vision therapy.

4. What's Involved In A Vision Therapy Program?
Patients typically come to the office twice weekly for 30 - 60 minutes each visit. In addition, homework is given to be done at home as reinforcement of what is learned during the office therapy sessions once the patient is aware of the techneques and how to perform them. Commitment to the therapy program, and maintaining a schedule of weekly visits, is important in the success of the program.

5. Can't my child just do the therapy at home?
Vision therapy programs are individualized for the patient, and careful guidance and frequent monitoring is required for success. When attempted by patients without guidance, poor visual habits may actually be reinforced. In addition, in-office vision therapy programs make use of specialty computer programs, regulated medical devices (such as lenses and prisms) and other tools which are not available for use in the home.
 The techniques and technologies of vision therapy have been reviewed and developed throughout this century by doctors of optometry. In some cases, regulated medical devices (such as lenses and prisms) are used.

6. Will My Insurance Cover Vision Therapy?
Some of the better health insurance policies cover vision therapy. The answer to this question has absolutely no relationship to whether or not your insurance covers eye examinations, eyeglasses, or contact lenses. If and when it is covered, vision therapy would be viewed and paid more like physical therapy or occupational therapy. Managed care companies have been limiting payment on all types of licensed medical therapies. It is recommended that parents not allow insurance companies to make arbitrary decisions which prevent children from receiving necessary care. Note that vision therapy is very inexpensive and cost-effective when compared to surgical treatments.

7. How Long Does Vision Therapy Last?
When the program is complete, the benefits of vision therapy should last for a lifetime. Accurate focusing and the use of both eyes together efficiently is a reflex which, when conditioned, should operate effortlessly. Self-monitoring activities are prescribed at the end of each therapy program. Vision therapy, as related to visual perception, prepares children for a lifelong learning, and fills in gaps for many adults who have lost visual skills and abilities. AS we age our muscles can weaken, causing some of the old symtoms to return. Usually, a short period of therapy is needed to bring you back to good visual function.

8. Why Is Vision Therapy a Well-kept Secret?
Most of us have seen dramatic camera footage of people struggling in physical therapy, being taught to walk again after a stroke or other traumatic accident. Watching a child or adult doing vision therapy would not make such a dramatic picture--most of the action is happening inside the child's or adult's own eyes and brain and can't be picked up by the eye of a camera.
Vision therapy is practiced by both optometrists and pediatric ophthalmologists (orthoptics), but -- depending on the doctor you consult -- you or your family may not be informed of this treatment option. There are several reasons for this. Pediatric ophthalmologists are trained as specialists and surgeons. Their practices concentrate on the use of drugs and surgery to treat eye disease and trauma. The majority of pediatric ophthalmologists have not set up therapy rooms as part of their own practices. Likewise, many optometrists do not maintain active therapy practices. There is also some rivalry between the two licensed professions: ophthalmology and optometry. Many factors add up to the likelihood that you may not just stumble upon an eye doctor who offers vision therapy.

9. Is This an Eye Problem or a Brain Problem?
The visual system includes the brain as well as the eyes. The eyes are actual physical extensions of the brain. According to eye doctors, some binocular vision disabilities also involve problems with how the brain processes the visual information coming in through the eyes. Even so, many people with strabismus are offered only surgery to straighten the muscles of the eye. Surgery might make a deviating eye appear straight to others, but it frequently does little to change the way the patient's brain processes incoming visual information. And often the deviating eye returns to its misaligned position(s) after surgery. Surgery frequently does not restore binocular vision.
Consider the tremendous advances that have been made in the last thirty years in the fields of occupational therapy and physical therapy. In these areas of therapy, health care professionals understand that the human brain is capable of tremendous change, recovery and development. Today, patients who suffer strokes or other traumatic injuries to the brain and nervous system receive extensive rehabilitation. Therapeutic procedures (exercises) teach them how to coordinate movement--how to breathe, speak, and/or walk. In his speech at the 1996 Democratic convention, Christopher Reeve referred to the tremendous progress that has already been made in rehabilitative therapies. Vision is such a vital sense. Why isn't the vision care/eye care field more progressive in general? Why don't more eye care professionals take advantage of the marvelous gains that have general? Why don't more eye care professionals take advantage of the marvelous gains that have been and are being made in the other rehabilitative therapies?
The answer is that Vision therapy (or orthoptic therapy) is a very effective type of physical therapy for the brain and the eyes. Adults that have suffered traumatic brain injuries can benitit tremendously from vision therapy, many time to the ppoint of driving again, Children with binocular vision impairments can often learn to see normally by undergoing this type of rehabilitative therapy.

Neuro-Optometric Rehab and Treatment
FAQ

1. What kinds of problems are addressed in a Neuro-Optometric Evaluation?

Problems addressed in a Neuro- Optometric Evaluation stem from some form of traumatic insult to the brain or from a neurological of systemic disease that have visual consequences. Common problems include double vision, intermittent blur, headaches, inability to sustain concentration when attempting to read, loss of place while reading, distractibility when central or peripheral motion is present, pain upon converging eyes, loss of vision to one side, generalized decreased visual awareness or constricted fields, and poor judgment of depth to name a few. There are many other symptoms. If you want to know them or think you have something not mentioned, contact us.

2. What diseases of the Brain can be evaluated in a Neuro-Optometric Evaluation?

Visual deficits caused by a Closed Head or Brain Injury, Cerebral Vascular Accidents, Cerebral Palsy, Dementia, Superior Nuclear Palsies, Motor and Gait Dysfunctions (Parkinson's Disease, Guilllian Barriet Syndrome), Autism, Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Multiple Sclerosis, and Diabetic Neuropathies affecting CN 3,4,5,6and 7.

3. If I have a stroke, what kind of vision problems could I expect?

The visual problems related to a stroke include but are not limited to possible visual field loss visual neglect, double vision, tracking and scanning problems, inability to sustain fixation or focus, eye lids that may not close, loss of sensation to the cornea and or conjunctiva, or loss of central vision. If you have specific questions about vision problems relates to strokes or want more information, contact us.

4. My dad has Parkinson's Disease; he can not concentrate when he tries to read. He says things blur and become double. What can be done to help him?

Convergence Insufficiency is a common secondary side affect of PD. Treatment may include but not be limited to the use of prism incorporated into reading glasses, convergence exercises, and or a combination of the two.

5. What causes double vision?

Motor control of eye muscles starts in the Frontal lobe of the brain, in what is called the Premotor planning area. Fibers coarse forward to the Motor Eye fields in the Frontal Lobe. Then, as part of a large bundle of descending nerve fibers that tract back through the brain to the Brain Stem (which is in the back of the head, upper neck). It is here in the Mid Brain and Pons of the Brain Stem that signal go to individual nerve centers or nuclei. These nerve centers send signals to the muscles of the eyes, all six muscles per eye, to move the eyes in a coordinated manor. If the signal gets interrupted for any reason along the path from the Pre motor area to the muscles themselves, the eyes won't work as a team and double vision can occur. Signal interruption can be caused by but not limited to loss of blood supply to any area in the brain along the visual motor path, space occupying lesions, tears or stretching of the nerves. Eye muscles can weaken like any other muscle group in the body, or muscles can get entrapped as a consequence of a traumatic injury causing a blowout fracture.

6. I had a head injury, my vision blurs in and out. Can you tell me what is happening and it be fixed?

There are three main causes of intermittent blur after a head injury. Optic Nerves damage or injury, Convergence Insufficiency, a form of Binocular Dysfunction, and if you are under 40 years of age Accommodative Dysfunction. The binocular and accommodative dysfunctions can be addressed with visual therapies, eye glasses, and or prism. Optic Nerve damage can be medically treated if it is swelling rather than nerve death.

7. I got whiplash in a motor vehicle accident. I get a closed in feeling when I'm in crowds. Movement in front of my face and to the sides is distracting. The worse thing is the windshield wiper moving on a rainy day. These problems started after my car accident. What can I do?

People that become highly distracted by either central movement or peripheral movement require a Neuro-Optometric Evaluation. The central and ambient or peripheral visual systems are supposed to work in tandem with the central system in general control. The control; centers are in a number of brain areas. One of the most sensitive areas is in the superior colliculus, just above the brain stem. This area is involved with integration of vision, visual movement, balance and special awareness. A number of visual modalities can help control the movement.

8. Do most Insurance companies pay for a Neuro-Optometric Evaluation?

Neuro-Optometric Evaluations are routinely paid for by most health insurances. Auto and Workman's Compensation Insurances normally pay for these evaluations although many states require pre-certification. Auto Insurance Companies may approve testing and then tell you it is not a guarantee of payment, "go figure"

9. Do I need a referral to see you?

Each health insurance policy varies and you must check with your carrier or primary care provider. Most indemnity policies including standard Medicare do not require a referral. As mentioned in question 8, pre-certification may be required in certain situation.

10. What is Neuro Visual Therapy?

We provide Optometric Vision Therapy for, but not limited to, focusing problems, neuro muscular reeducation, eye muscle coordination difficulties, peripheral awareness training, reaction time training, amblyopia, ocular muscle decompensation, learning related vision problems, visual perceptual deficits, visually related balance, postural, and ambulatory dysfunctions. Many eye problems can be prevented or rehabilitated when detected and treated early.
Rehabilitative Optometry treatments may include counterstress or plus lenses, yoked prism in any number of positions, optometric vision therapy, ocular biofeedback therapy ( for improving focusing problems and reducing accommodative spasm), neuro muscular reeducation, developmental visual training, Syntonic traing for visual field expansion, and nutritional counseling to name a few.

11. Do Insurance companies pay for therapy?

Neuro-Optometric therapies are routinely paid for by most health insurances. Auto and Workman's Compensation Insurances normally pay for these therapies although many states require pre-certification. Auto Insurance Companies may approve training and then tell you it is not a guarantee of payment, "go figure".

12. My mother is in a Rehabilitation Hospital, can see be seen by you?

I am presently on staff at (5) five Rehabilitation Hospitals in NJ. If she is at one of these hospitals, there is no problem with me seeing her. You have ask her Physiatrist (Physical Medicine Doctor) to consult me. In general I can see patients in any hospital as an outside consultant, when a patient or family member makes a request for me. There is a basic procedure that has to be followed to give me temporary privileges. If you are geographically distant from NJ, I will attempt to find a qualified doctor in your area.

13. My dad is in a long term Nursing Facility; he had a stroke and Parkinson's Disease. Is there anything that can help him?

Most Nursing Facilities have an Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy Department. They also have Neurologists and Physiatrists that consult. After talking to your fathers Attending Physician, you may want a consult from one or more of the above specialists. A Neuro-Optometric consult would also be advisable. If you need more specific help, contact us.

14. My son has Autism. Is there anything that can help him visually?

Individuals with Autism tend to have a locked in visual staring that does not target objects of regard. What that means in English is the individual does not look directly at the person or object they are dealing with. A Neuro-Optometric Evaluation can determine if specific exercises or prism will help in opening up the Autistic individual. Many of the other visual exercises needed by the general population also apply to the Autistic population.

15. I had a stroke and lost some vision on my right side. What can be done to help me?

When someone has lost vision to one side as a result of a stroke, it is important to realize the loss is in both eyes, not just the eye closest to the lost vision. There a number of factors that has to be evaluated. First, is it visual field loss or visual neglect? If it is a field loss, is it complete to the midline of sight or incomplete? If it is incomplete, how much useable field is there and does it vary superiorly and inferiorly? Is the field loss a hemianopsia (half field) or a quadranopsia (quarter field loss)? If it is Visual neglect, how dense is it and where is it densest? Was the stroke caused by an embolic or hemorrhagic incident? And finally, how long a time has it been since the event occurred.
Once these questions can be answered, various therapies and prism can be employed to teach you how to become aware of your lost visual field and to shift your gaze into the deficit field.

16. What are the sequences of events that will allow me to drive after a stroke?

Every patient's stroke is different and unique to them. The resulting visual disabilities range from double vision, to poor depth perception, to poor eye hand and foot coordination, to a variety of visual field losses to cortical blindness, and to decreased visual processing speed. In those situations where deficits can be overcome and all other doctors and Therapists have cleared you to drive, I send you first for a driver screening and possible reeducation program. Once that is passed, I send you for a behind the wheel test on the road to determine which driving conditions should be avoided and which are within you skill level. Every state has its own unique set of laws regarding minimal visual skills and may have laws or rules regarding driving and vision after a stroke.  For that information, check with your state DMV.

COMPUTER VISION SYNDROME
FAQ

1. If I just had my eyes examined, why do I need a separate computer evaluation?

Unfortunately, an eye exam can be a (5) five minute face to face with a doctor or a (40) forty minute face to face with a doctor. The minimum test required by state law varies from state to state and by type of eye care practitioner. Ophthalmologists have no minimum requires exam (this does not imply a lesser exam). If you do not specifically tell your doctor about your computer related problems, that doctor may or may not ask you especially if it's a (5) five minute exam. A comprehensive exam should include probing questions about your computer use if there is a problem and address them on a general level that should solve most peoples difficulties. Some computer related problems require a more sophisticated battery of tests that you will find in a normal comprehensive eye exam.

2. I get headaches and loose concentration by midday. I work in data entry. What can I do?

You first need a comprehensive eye exam, by an eye doctor that has both a functional and medical orientation. A doctor with either one orientation or the other might miss the problem. Make sure the Computer evaluation addresses working distance to the computer monitor, key board and other items you are viewing, lighting, ocular muscle strength, appropriateness of prescription, and ability to sustain focus and fixation at the working distance you need. Wet refraction may be necessary and dilated fundus evaluation must be performed. Additional test may be performed.

3. I have Macular Degeneration and it is getting difficult to read my e-mail. What can I do?

Assuming you are corrected appropriately for your monitor, you can contact your browser provider ask them to increase your e-mail font size. In some instances reversing your contrast will help. There are software programs that are for low vision computer users as well.

4. What is involved in a Computer Vision Evaluation?

A Computer Vision Evaluation starts with probative questions about your workplace environment, if you are wearing corrective lenses for the computer, what your symptoms are, how long can you work before they start, how intense do they get, how long does it take to get to maximum discomfort, as well as other specific questions. Assuming you have a correct distance and or near pair of glasses, testing should be done at the distance you are normally working. Testing for muscle strength, muscular sustaining ability, agility to change fixation, focus sustaining ability, agility in changing focus, natural ocular posture at your working distance, and the evaluation of prism, are a starting point for testing.  An extensive tear film evaluation may be needed, pupil evaluation, and depending on age, tests for latent hyperopia, cataracts, retinal disorders, and optic nerve problems should be performed. A discussion should include possible changes in workplace conditions, possible changes in distances to the monitor and other objects being viewed, duration of sustained computer use, blink habits, he need for possible eye exercises when warranted, and the need for eye wear specific to workplace demands. Special tints and coatings for glare must also be discussed. As you can see, this is not the kind of evaluation that ca be done during a standard comprehensive eye exam especially when the entire exam takes (5) five minutes face to face with the doctor.

5. Within twenty minutes of viewing my computer, I get a headache, words jump, and then I get double vision. I am ready to quit my job. What is going on and what can I do?

You need to get a comprehensive eye exam and then get a computer evaluation from an eye doctor that routinely does the testing mentioned in answer #4.

6. Does medical insurance pay for this type of evaluation?

Some vision plans cover a computer related eye exam and offer eye wear for the computer. It has been my experience that these companies don't pay sufficiently to allow the doctors to give a comprehensive computer evaluation. In general, if there is a medical condition that relates to your symptoms, medical insurances pay so long as the conditions are not specifically excluded.

Contact Lenses:
Frequently Asked Questions

1. How long does it take to get used to new contact lenses if you have never worn them before?

Depending on your eye sensitivity and whether you have soft or rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses, your eyes could adjust to wearing contact lenses from a day to two weeks. Some people find that their eyes never adjust, but that's quite rare. [top]

2. Can a contact get lost behind my eye?

No. At worst, you might have trouble finding it under the lid; if need be, you can have your eye doctor help you get it out. [top]

3. When am I old enough to wear contact lenses?

That depends on how responsible you are; this decision is best made jointly between you, your parents and your eye doctor. Please see our Contact Lenses for Kids article for more information. [top]

4. What kinds of contacts are available?

Contact lenses come in different material types, replacement schedules and wear schedules. Plus, many special kinds are available.

Material Types: soft, RGP

Replacement Schedules:

Conventional soft contacts last about a year; conventional RGPs last several years.
Frequent or planned replacement contact lenses last one to several months.
Disposable contacts last from one day to two weeks.

Wear Schedules: daily wear (the ones you take out at night) and extended wear (the ones you can sleep in).

Special Contact Lenses: bifocals, colored contacts, ortho-k contacts (correct your vision even when you're not wearing them), special-effect contact lenses, torics for astigmatism and UV-blocking.

5. Are disposable contact lenses worth the extra money?

Many doctors highly recommend both disposable and frequent replacement contact lenses: they are an excellent choice health-wise, because there's less chance for protein and bacteria to build up on them.. [top]

6. Where is the best place to buy contact lenses?

You should order contact lenses from your eye doctor. Make sure the lenses are put on your eyes each time you get a new pair of lenses. We do not live in a perfect world and sometimes lenses come in incorrect or defective.

7. My doctor refused to give me my contact lens prescription. Is this legal?

Laws on this issue vary from state to state. Some eye doctors feel that if they give out contact lens prescriptions, certain patients would stop going in for regular eye exams, which not only determine prescription changes, but can also catch serious diseases in their early, more treatable states. Ask us about New Jersey laws if you live in New Jersey.

8. Can I wear contacts if I have bifocal eyeglasses?

Yes. There are a few options.
The best option for good clear vision is distance contact lenses and a pair of reading glasses.
The second option is monovision. Here you give up some distance vision and some reading vision and in exchange you have one pair of lenses only. This can be dangerous, as you loose depth perception and that can cause accidents.
There are modified monovision techniques that incorporate a third lens for distance or sports or the use of a bifocal contact for one of the eyes depending on personal needs.
The last option is the use of bifocal contact lenses. Most soft lenses are fair at best although some gas permeable bifocal contacts are good.  [top]

9. Why did my doctor tell me to come back after he has already fitted me with my contacts?

It depends on the type of lenses you are wearing and your wearing schedule (overnight wear vs. continuous wear up to thirty days).
In general 3-7 day initial contact lens checks are ordered because we wants to be sure that you're not having any problems, such as an improper fit or a change in vision, and that you are cleaning your and caring for your lenses properly.
If it's about a year later, it's to check whether your prescription has changed and to check for any diseases which are best treated in their early stages.

Low Vision
FAQ

1. Do you accept Medicare?

Our office does accept Medicare.  If a medical problem exists, the visit should be covered at 80% of Medicare's usual and customary. Normally a Low Vision evaluation does not occur unless a medical condition has caused a major change in ones visual ability. The use of Medicare Insurance for routine eye care is illegal.

2. Does Medicare pay for a Low Vision Evaluation?

Each provider or carrier for Medicare has different policies regarding Low Vision Evaluations. In New Jersey, a Low Vision Evaluation as such is not a covered procedure.

3. If I need low vision aids, how expensive can they get?
 
Low Vision aids can vary in price from a few dollars to a few thousands of dollars. Items that routinely run under a $100, are high quality hand magnifiers (not available in standard stores), clip-on loops and magnifiers, and full spectrum bulbs. Items costing a few hundred dollars include specialty tinted lenes, high power low vision glasses including magnifiers and telescopes and lighting fixtures. More sophisticated telescopic systems  and closed circuit TVs can cost thousands of dollars.

4. Does Medicare pay for the aids?

Medicare does not pay for Low Vision Aids.

5. My Ophthalmologist told me there was no additional help for me. He said I can not see the big E on the chart. I want to read. What can be done to help me?

For starters, you need a thorough eye evaluation that focuses on finding your maximum standard vision. Next you need a Low Vision Evaluation to determine where your best usable vision is. This evaluation must include your goals and a realistic assessment of those goals. If reading is important, the trial use of varying magnifiers at specific working distances taking into consideration field of view and lighting must be attempted before the infamous words "nothing more can be done for you" should be uttered.

6. What are the state vision requirements to drive?

In New Jersey, to maintain your standard driver's license, you must be correctable to 20/50 in only one eye. The other eye can be totally blind. At present, there are no visual field requirements. This means you can be totally blind in one eye and only see half the world in the other eye and as long as it sees 20/50, visually, you can maintain your license. Depth perception and color vision are not a requirement for a driver's license in New Jersey.
Having said this, driving should not be based on minimum standards only. If you do not meet the minimum requirements you should turn in your license if your doctor has not told you to do so. Your greatest responsibility on the road is to others around you.

7. Will I need therapy to learn how to use my new aids?

As low vision aids become more complex and sophisticated, the difficulty in using them increases. As optical powers increase, and the field of view decreases, the need for new scanning strategies increases. Low vision rehabilitative therapy will assist in giving you the startigies you need to function optimally with your aid.

8. Will Medicare pay for the therapy?

Yes. In the late 1990's codes were established by Medicare specially to assist individuals with visual disabilities to learn to function with aids and to function more safely in their environment.

9. I am poor and can not afford these services. What can I do? And can you help?

Each state has programs set-up to assist individuals of limited means. In New Jersey, State run Medicaid and the NJ Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped can help. I have been a Panel Member of the NJ CBVH for over 18 years. I also accept Medicaid.

10. My child has a Low Vision problem. Can he be helped?

There area number of diseases that affect the visual system of infants and children. Infantile Cataracts,  traumatic cataracts, Glaucoma, Metabolic diseases, Stargardts Disease (a form of macular degeneration in children), Albinism, Nystagmus, and Retinitis Pigmintosa are but a few of the diseases affecting infants and children, potentially creating vision threatening conditions.

SPORTS VISION
FAQ

1. What is involved in a Sports Vision Evaluation?

Sports Vision Evaluations concentrate on the visual skills needed to function in general and specifically in the sport the athlete is engaged in. Eye hand and foot coordination, speed of reaction time to visual stimuli both static and moving, glare recovery time, color vision and color discrimination under pressure and timed, dynamic visual acuity, depth perception static and dynamic, and peripheral awareness are to name a few of the tests.
Testing occurs at two levels. Testing and treatment is performed on children and adults with visual deficits that can be brought to normal and so enhance sports abilities. We also evaluate and train athletes with normal and superior skills the an eye on increasing the level of visual performance beyond normal.

2. What sports rely heavily on vision?

All sports rely on vision to some extent. Sports that have a moving object that has to be interacted with generally require most visual skills. The faster the object moves, the more visual distracters, the smaller the objects, the larger the area the object can move, as well as rapidly changing lighting conditions have a major input on vision. The same sport can be played at a variety of levels of ability and therefore have varying degrees of visual demand.

3. How did Sports Vision Get started in the United States?

Optometry has been interested in visual function and visual performance for well over 75 years. Protective eye wear had been an issue long before OSHA came out with standards for lens quality. Racket sports and golf have created severe eye injuries for years. In the early and mid 1960's the East German Olympic Organization started looking at ways to enhance athletic performance. One of the many areas they worked with was vision. At or about the same time United States Air Force was looking at ways to use eye tracking to enhance fighter pilot performance. By the mid to late 1970's the United States was starting to look at athletes visual performance skills seriously. By the early 1980's the American Optometric Association started a Sports Vision Section. Other Sports Vision Organizations arose with a few years of that date. The American Optometric Association sports Vision Section was involved in evaluating and treating U.S. Olympic hopefuls and team members. I was proud to be a member of that early group and was Membership Chairman for the Sports Vision Section for a while. With time the Olympic process became more and more commercial and the AOA decreased its involvement in the US Olympics and concentrated on the US Special Olympics and then The International Special Olympics. I again was fortunate to have been involved in the International Summer games in Hartford Conn. and the winter games in Toronto, Canada in the late 1980's. Today, many professional athletic teams have an Optometrist on staff or consulting to help with visual performance issues.

4. What can you do with the information you obtain in a Sports Vision Evaluation?

The information obtained from a Sports Vision Evaluation can help in giving appropriate eye wear including anti reflective lenses for glare, light sensitive lenses for changing lighting conditions and general sensitivity, and in some cases contact lenses that enhance contrast. Training when appropriate can increase speed of reaction, increase awareness, enhance depth perception and improve visualization skills to mane a few.

5. Can you enhance some ones visual skills if they already have good skills?

My experience with US Olympic Athletes, College sports teams, and professional athletes has shown me that regardless of your baseline skill level, with enhancement training these athletes improved. There are always exceptions to every rule and observation.

6. Can children or adults with Cerebral Palsy be helped?

For a number of years I had the pleasure of working with the US and International Special Olympics. For the past (15) fifteen years I have worked with patients with varied neurological disorders. In must cases, visual function has been improved to observable levels.

7. Does medical insurance pay for the evaluation or training?

No insurance company will pay for sports vision enhancement. If a medical condition is found, the evaluation may be covered. Likewise, if a medical condition requires vision therapy, it may be covered. Each insurance plan is different as to what is covered.