Behavioural Optometry... Vision more than seeing.

"Behavioural Optometry is an expanded area of optometric practice. Behavioural optometrists have a holistic approach to the treatment of vision and vision information processing problems. Functional visual efficiency is known to influence visual status. The way that you interpret what you see does not depend solely on how clear your eyesight is. Consideration must be given to all your visual, visual motor and visual cognitive skills." Australiasian College of Behavioural Optometrists.

I recently went to a seminar held at Thompson Larter & Associates Behavioural Optometrists about Vision Skills testing.  It was interesting to hear from optometrists who not only test for short and far sightedness and astigmatism but also go further to test vision skills (the ability of the eyes to concentrate and attend without mental effort).  

The areas they test and treat include:

• Binocularity: Ability of the eyes to work together as a team
• Oculomotility: Ability to track or follow a moving object
• Accommodation: Ability to rapidly change focus from distance to near viewing
• Visual Perception: skills to understand what we see in the word around us
• Visual Motor Integration: Eye-hand-body coordination.

Whilst OTs and optometrists both look at visual perceptual skills and visual motor integration, we come from different approaches.  Optometrists will use lenses, prisms, vision therapy and light/colour therapy to address vision skills.  OTs have a motor skills based approached to training in visual perceptual and visual-motor skills.  We are also have expertise and experience to modify activities and the environment to help those who have difficulty in this area.   OTs and behavioural optometrists work together for the benefit of the student.

Here are some indicators of problems with visual function or visual processing skills.

VISUAL FUNCTION
Eye Focus problems may include-

•  child complaining of blurred vision, 
  
• eyestrain or burning eyes after task completed,
• headaches,
• rubbing eyes,
• inattention to visual detail,
• poor reading comprehension,
• squinting, peering.

Eye tracking problems may include-

• loses place when reading/copying, 
• skips or re-reads words, letters, lines,
• uses finger to skip place,
• poor reading comprehension,
• moves head excessively during reading.

Eye teaming problems may include-

• Covers/closes one eye when reading,
• rubs eyes,
• eyestrain, headaches,
• words seem to float or move,
• inattention,
• clumsy with ball skills,
• unusual head turn or body posture when reading or writing.

Image found at www.optometrists.org

VISUAL INFORMATION PROCESSING
Visual Spatial problems may include-

• Poor coordination and balance,
• clumsy, falls, bumps into things,
• both sides of body don't work together,
• difficulty knowing right from left,
• letter and number reversals when writing.
• 
  

Visual-Analysis problems may include-

• difficulty learning alphabet and sight words,
• difficulty with maths concepts of size, magnitude and position,
• confuses likeness and minor differences
• difficulty recognising same word on page.

Visual-Motor integration problems may include-

• difficulty copying from the board,
• poor drawing and/or writing skills,
• poor spacing/inability to stay on the lines,
• slow with writing activities,
• knowledge and test results conflict.
• 
  

Visual-auditory integration problems may include-

• difficulty matching colours to colour names,
  
• difficulty matching shapes to shape names,
  
• difficulty matching letters and numbers to their names,
  
• difficulty with rhyming activities,
  
• poor spelling,
  
• difficulty learning to read phonetically.
  

Checklist source: Thompson Larter & Associates

If you would like to read more about behavioural optometry or find someone local to you in Australia, please refer to the following websites:-

• Thompson Larter & Associates
• Australian College of Behavioural Optometrists

or in the United States:

• Optometrists Network.

You can also "attend" the workshop I attended by watching the You-tube clip I  have attached.  
(Note: If you are receiving this blog via email, you may need to access this by clicking the title of this blog which will take you to a live web page).

Has your child had the vision tested?  Have you considered a behavioural optometrist?

Note: I have not received any renumeration from Thompson Larter & Associates.  I was invited to attend this information session.