The Vision Therapy sessions are 45 -50 minutes long . 

Vision is a  learned process and 80% of what we learn is learned through our visual system.  During this session you will explore all areas of how vision guides your body for a more organized and integrated system to experience your maximum potential . You or your child will learn how to use the eyes with every other sense, with vision being the dominant sense for learning.

You will explore and integrate peripheral awareness at a level you have not ever experienced or learned as well as learning visual tracking skills and convergence and focusing  skills should your exam reveal deficits in those areas.

You will  also be exposed to learn how to visualize information , instead of rote learning. This will expand your reading comprehension and could  enable you/your child to be a better speller. If you are a high-performance athlete , this will allow you to be able to heighten the effect of your game by being able to visualize certain plays before you actually perform them.
These fun and interactive  activities will be done  with a certified Vision Therapist in our office and  will allow you/ your child to make these gains.

FAQ

What is Vision Therapy?

The word Vision Therapy is a misnomer. It is the integration of the brain, eyes and body all being able to work in sync with each other. When you hear the words Vision Therapy, you think it is for children who cannot read well. Vision Therapy is powerful and beneficial for a number of different patients including children and adults who are incredibly smart but cannot learn efficiently as their eyes do not work together. Brain injury patients, patients with ADHD, sensory difficulties, patients on the spectrum and many other people can   benefit from Vision Therapy.

Vision Therapy also allows the connection to your Soul and your emotions  and allows you to connect with who you truly are and can become .

Who Can Benefit From Vision Therapy?

Patients who have 20/20 vision do not need glasses but it does not necessarily mean that they do not have a vision issue that can be trained through Vision Therapy. Children who struggle with learning to read,  stroke victims, traumatic brain injuries, patients with special needs, autism, Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, and stroke victims are all examples of who will benefit from Vision Therapy. It will help organize their perception of the world, which before Vision Therapy was disruptive and visually chaotic.

Can Vision Therapy help someone who has speech and/or gross motor difficulties?

Vision Therapy connects all of the senses. Vision is learned and because approximately 80% of what we learn is visual, then we have to make sure that the dominant sense for learning is working well. We integrate vision with verbal, vision with speech, vision with tactile, vision with auditory as well as vision with proprioception.

Will insurance cover Vision Therapy at your office?

Not typically but if you have a PPO you have a very strong chance of a percentage being covered.

Our office is considered an "Out of Network" provider. 

You have to complete the initial assessment in order for you to have a diagnosis code to present to the insurance company before they make their decision. Since we are a small office, we do not bill for you but will help you in any way to make it a simple process for you to be able to do it yourself. We will provide the superbills for you.

Does it stick?

Vision Therapy is incredibly powerful if done at a conscious level. That is the ONLY way we do it. It is absolutely a retraining of the brain and once the neural pathways are created, they stay. It is critical that the patient is consistent with their weekly office visits and committing to the at-home activties in order to receive the full benefits/effects of Vision Therapy.

Is there evidence based work on what you do?

Yes. Dr. Dean currently has a scientist in the office running a study to show the efficacy of vision training, measuring  three visual parameters which affect learning, namely accommodation, convergence and binocular function.

How young is the most effective therapy?

It varies based on the type of vision issue presented from the patient. Dr. Dean works with patients as young as 18 months.

How long is the therapy program?

This depends on the nature of the visual issue at hand and the patient. Typically 36-48 sessions is requiered but sometimes it may take a little longer. This will be evaluated after the  initial exam as well as  after the  perceptual testing. (Second Visit)

Is the doctor doing the therapy?

Dr. Dean, as well as her trained therapist Brenda Barnes, have been working in conjuction for almost a decade to ensure the absolute best service is provided to each individual in Vision Therapy. 

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During this evaluation, eye health is evaluated as well as a measurement for a prescription at distance and near. In addition, the functional aspects of vision including tracking , focusing, eye teaming , convergence and depth perception will also be measured.

These skills are necessary to evaluate at an early  age such as 4 or 5  as they are needed for efficient learning and studying, allowing the patient to reach their optimal performance in life as well as a school setting.

A school age child, toddler, or even an adult who may just want to see their visual system improve for efficiency as they age can all benefit from having these skills measured. Should there be a deficiency in any of the areas that are evaluated, Dr. Dean will explain how those areas are affecting your child's learning potential or your ability to reach your highest potential as an adult.

Remediation will also  be discussed.

This examination  is a necessity for anyone utilizing a computer on a daily basis for at least 2 hours or more .
Our blink rate goes down by 50% when we sit in front of the computer.
We also penalize our focusing system for extended periods of time and so at the end of the day when driving home , you may experience blurred vision. This blurred vision  may be related to a near/ computer problem not a distance problem .

During this evaluation , Dr. Dean will assess your vision and come up with a prescription that will feel comfortable for computer use. A near prescription is used for a different distance so a computer pair of glasses is a necessity as a near prescription will not be sufficient for computer use.

After using these glasses you should feel relief from eye strain and fatigue.

This series of tests are usually performed after an initial comprehensive neuro-visual examination has been completed by Dr. Dana Dean.  It is decided based on her findings whether to perform a perceptual battery after the initial exam.

During this second evaluation, Dr. Dean will be able to evaluate how you or your child perceives the information that they take on through their visual skills. This visual perceptual battery is crucial at determining how the brain receives the information and how it sorts it out.

Visual discrimination, visual closure, visual form constancy , visual memory, visual spatial awareness as

BEMER Therapy can improve restricted circulation in the smallest blood vessels and thus support the body's own self-healing and regeneration process. The circulation is the human body’s supply system. 75% of it is in the area of the smallest blood vessels (microcirculation). It is in the area in which the blood cells supply the tissue and organs with nutrients and oxygen, taking waste products with them for disposal on their way back. Only with the help of these supply and disposal processes can the body’s cells fulfill their varied life-supporting tasks and provide the body with energy. The heart ensures that the blood cells move through the blood circulation; however, in total the blood corpuscles have to supply and cleanse an area of over 100,000 kilometers. As the heart cannot manage this on its own, it needs help. The smallest blood vessels drive the blood cells with their own pumping movements (vasomotion) and support the heart in this way. Additionally, they regulate blood flow with their movements in such a way that areas requiring a greater supply at a given time are better supplied with blood than those with a periodically lower requirement. Example: During sporting activities, the muscles have a high requirement, and the brain needs less. When learning, exactly the opposite applies. The pumping movements of the smallest blood vessels help the blood cells to do their job - precisely where it is most needed. The results are impressive: The body’s defenses are strengthened, physical and mental performance levels rise, diseases are better combated and medicines reach their goal more easily. - See more at: http://www.bemer-partner.com/bemerGroup/VisionIntelligence/why-bemer/what-is-bemer/bemerr-physical-vascular-therapy/#sthash.AFDAPY1P.dpuf

These assessments are performed at an off-site office whereby a noninvasive EEG is performed while Dr. Dean prescribes various prisms.

The purpose of this evaluation is to find the best lens that will support the patient while looking to see what lens will keep the beta frequency wavelength at a low.
 

The beta frequency measures stress in the patient's system. The goal of this exam is to find the best lens that will be the most effective tool that allows the patient to function with the least amount of stress. This creates space for the patient to feel more comfortable and less anxious resulting in more efficiency.

The Interactive Metronome is a brain-based rehabilitation assessment and training program developed and designed to directly improve the processing abilities that affect attention, motor planning and sequencing. This strengthens motor skills, including mobility and gross motor function and many fundamental cognitive capacities such as planning, organizing, and language.

The IM was developed in the early 1990s and immediately proved of great benefit to adults with brain injuries as well as with those with ADD/ ADHD and children diagnosed with learning and developmental disorders.
Backed by years of clinical research and supported by prominent medical leaders in the industry, IM soon gained national attention as a breakthrough intervention to help those patients increase attention and concentration, motor control and coordination, language processing and control impulsivity.

How does IM work?
The IM program provides a structured, goal-oriented training process that challenges the patient to precisely match a computer-generated beat.
Patients are instructed to synchronize various hand, and foot exercises to a reference tone heard through headphones. The patient attempts to match the rhythmic beat with repetitive motor actions such as either clapping hands or tapping a foot on a sensor mat.

Dr. Dean utilizes this program for a number of different diagnoses and will discuss the reasoning behind why she may feel you or your child could benefit from it.

The Residual Primitive Reflexes Assessment is administered to evaluate reflex integration. Primitive Reflexes emerge during pre-natal through post-natal development. They are the first building blocks of movement and not under conscious or voluntary control. By creating the balance needed between body movements through familiarity and experience, primitive reflexes begin the pathways for righting reactions and equilibrium responses that facilitate integrated movement. Once primitive reflexes are integrated, they provide a strong foundation for more sophisticated and specialized voluntary movement patterns, such as those needed for good eye control, focusing, eye teaming, bilateral integration, hand-eye coordination, and visual motor integration.
 

The following reflexes will be evaluated by Dr. Dean:

Moro Reflex:

The Moro Reflex allows for the development of freedom from whole body flexion (body in) or extension (body out). When the Moro Reflex is not completely integrated, the patient may show sensitivity to noise, light, touch, and movement and may be quick to startle or show fear. The heightened sense of awareness may manifest as distractibility, anxiety, poor adaptability and/or impulse control. Poor balance, coordination, focusing, and oculomotor problems can occur. Integration of the Moro Reflex allows for the development of freedom from whole body movements to individual parts. This reflex should be integrated before four months of age.

Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR):

The Tonic Labyrinthine reflex involves the vestibular–whole body response and is an important beginning in the development of balanced muscle tone. Symptoms of a poorly integrated TLR may include insecurity in balance and rolling over; difficulties with general movement activities such as crawling, creeping, standing, and walking; difficulties with visual thinking concepts such as poor sequencing, organization, spatial relationships, reversals, and figure-ground, as well as poor oculomotor coordination and binocularity. Integration of the TLR allows for freedom from whole body movements to movement of individual parts with balanced muscle tone. This reflex should be integrated by 3.5 years of age.

Spinal Galant Reflex:

The Spinal Galant Reflex provides the opportunity to experience a change from whole body movements to homolateral (same side) movements. Symptoms of a poorly integrated Spinal Galant Reflex may include inability to sit still, difficulties paying attention or concentrating, poor balance control, poor posture, short-term memory problems, and/or concentrating problems. Integration of the Spinal Galant Reflex allows for the development of freedom from homolateral movement. This reflex should be integrated by nine months of age.

Asymmetric Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR):

The stimulus for the ATNR is the turning motion of the head. This head turn triggers a complex multi-muscle synergy., coupling arm and head movements, providing the first opportunity for reaching movements and hand-eye coordination. Symptoms for a poorly integrated ATNR may include poor bilateral integration, delayed cross-pattern movements, poor balance, and difficulties with visual tracking, focusing, binocularity, reading, and writing. Integration of the ATNR allows freedom between head and body movement to develop. This reflex should be integrated by eight months of age.

Symmetric Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR):

The STNR provides the separation of body movements between the upper and lower half of the body. It is developed after the ATNR and allows the infant to defy gravity on hands and knees, and is a precursor to creeping. Symptoms of a poorly integrated STNR include difficulties with hand-eye coordination, accommodation and visuomotor integration, poor posture and poorly developed muscle tone. Integration of the STNR allows both the freedom between upper and lower body movement as well as freedom of head movement from body movement. This reflex should be integrated by one year of age.

Head Righting Reaction:

The Head Righting Reaction is the ability to maintain upright head posture in relation to gravity by establishing the axis between body and head. This allows for the maintenance of an upright head posture when body position is altered. It is a more advanced pattern of movement that is integrated into all adult movements and remains active throughout life. Symptoms of a poorly integrated Head Righting Reaction can include poor coordination, clumsiness, poor balance, and organization. This reaction emerges between 2-3 months after birth and should be present into adulthood.

Whether it be a mild blow to the head, severe car accident or stroke... you could be suffering from a brain injury that will, if not already, significantly impact your ability to pay attention, remember things, be a part of a conversation or even walk without bumping into things. Consider having your vision evaluated by Dr. Dean so that she can see how your visual system and brain can be reorganized to allow you to achieve your desired goals.  Vision and the brain are interconnected, and many times we may not realize just how important it is for them both to be working together.

Vision Integration is a very integral piece to Autism.  Many patients on the spectrum may have one or more heightened senses that work independently of each other, causing a lot of frustration and confusion. Vision therapy will help to integrate the senses, with Vision being the dominant sense, supporting all the other senses. At any level on the spectrum, Vision can help organize a patients awareness of his/her own body as well as where he/she is in space.  As Vision is learned, Vision therapy is a critical therapy and often a life-changing therapy for patients as they learn to navigate in their own environment with Vision being able to lead, allowing them to access pertinent information from the environment around them.