At one point or another, we have all probably heard the term vision therapy or vision correction therapy, but what do they mean and is there a way that I might be able to benefit from them?
I’ll first start by describing what vision correction therapy is not:
- A “snake oil” treatment available for sale on the internet
- The taking of specialized vitamin treatments formulated specifically for the eyes
- The use of “pinhole” eyeglasses to see better
- The manipulation of the eye with techniques like palming, floating, yo-yo’ ing, sunning, or any other kind of massage technique
- Exercises to relax the eye
If you have done any research on the internet regarding natural vision correction programs, you have no doubt seen one or all of these terms.
Vision correction therapy can be thought of in several ways, but perhaps most importantly it requires direct interaction with a licensed practitioner. There are many different kinds of eye doctors, most of which are licensed as optometrists with the symbol “O.D.” after their name. These are people who have completed a formal (and rigorous) course of study allowing them to detect eye diseases, measure refractive errors of all types, and prescribe lenses. Most optometrists are not specifically trained to treat blurry vision with methods other than prescribing lenses to see better, nor have most eye doctors received any specialized training in the specialized field of vision correction therapy.
There is another, smaller field of licensed optometrists who have completed further certifications in behavioral and natural therapeutic approaches to refractive eye problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and presbyopia (i.e., hardening of the crystalline lens of the eye which makes it difficult to see up-close as we age). These eye doctors are termed Behavioral Optometrists and practice vision therapy in their clinic. They see patients, diagnose visual disorders, and treat those disorders in their clinic using combinations of therapies, nutritional supplements, lenses (usually very different from your normal prescription), and various other tools that specifically target your particular visual disorder.
Vision correction therapy is not any one technique to improve visual performance, but rather a specific blending of therapies designed to synergistically target your vision problem.
This brings me to the other side of vision correction therapy…the different levels of involvement with an eye doctor. When you visit a behavioral optometrist, he or she will diagnose your visual problem(s) and consult with you to prescribe a set of alternative vision correction therapies. You really have no say in the diagnosis or prescription, although you can certainly choose not to follow it (or pay for it). However, do you really need the eye doctor to tell you that you are nearsighted? Yes and No. Knowing you are nearsighted and knowing how nearsighted you are can be two completely different questions. Of course, only a licensed optometrist can measure your degree of nearsightedness accurately. However, you can get a very close approximation simply by testing your vision with an eye chart and some level of knowledge about how to interpret your results.
Vision correction therapy under your own guidance is not possible, because true vision correction therapy requires the interaction with your behavioral optometrist. However, using a system of eye exercises on your own is called vision training, or vision correction training. In many cases, it can be incredibly helpful to your overall therapy by including vision correction training in-between your weekly or monthly sessions.
Semantics aside, is vision correction therapy and/or vision correction training worth pursuing? Well, if vision correction therapy did not work, how could there be so many successful licensed behavioral optometrists in the industry? And if the techniques that behavioral optometrists use work, how could you, as a person who knows how to use them, not be effective in your own vision correction training? The only difference is that you are the one diagnosing your vision problem (probably after finding out that you are nearsighted after your eye checkup), and you are the one who decides which training techniques to use.
There are many great companies on the internet that sell effective vision correction training programs with products that range the price spectrum. The one thing to keep in mind in this business is that price does not always equal quality!
When searching for a good vision training program:
- Look for a company that has been in business for at least 5 years. If they have survived this long, their product is most likely legitimate
- Find a company that has the endorsement of a licensed optometrist
- They should have plenty of customer endorsements, both for their product and for their customer service satisfaction
- Be very cautious if they are not a credit card merchant and have no customer support information
- Look for a product guarantee or refund policy, a privacy policy, and a disclaimer. A company that does not have a disclaimer for a training program that depends on your efforts should be a red flag.