Welcome to another installment of Career Spotlight, where we showcase and explore different specializations, career settings, technological advances, and more in the exciting world of optometry!

There are many ways to go within the world optometry and today we take a closer look at…

 Vision Therapy & Rehabilitation!

What is Vision Rehab?

Vision therapy and rehabilitation refers to the therapeutic practices used by eye care professionals focusing on improving functional abilities and quality of life for people who have a loss in visual function.

You can think of vision rehab like physical therapy for an injury but for just eyes!

According to the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) the majority of the clinical and didactic curricula will be devoted to topics and practice relevant to dysfunctions of eye movement, accommodative, binocular and perceptual systems, reduced visual acuity, and compromised visual fields which are all pertinent in visual therapy.

 

Treatments & Approaches

There are a variety of different approaches used throughout the field depending on specific patient circumstance including physical therapy techniques, neuro-rehabilitation activities, mediciation, and educational advocacy methods.

There is a lot of exciting research being conducted to find new and innovating techniques in this exciting specialty including gene therapy!

 

Vision Therapy In Action

Check out this fascinating story of the power of vision therapy from Sue Barry, a college professor, on rewiring her brain to see in 3D…

 

So there you have it a small look at the specialization of vision therapy and rehab!

Stay tuned for more of OAT Cracker’s exploration into the nooks and crannies of the optometry world!