What is the main aim of vision therapy?

The main aim of vision therapy is to improve visual skills and functional vision. Vision therapy is a structured program designed to enhance the way the brain processes visual information and how the eyes work together. This can involve a variety of techniques and exercises that target specific visual skills, such as eye tracking, focusing, depth perception, and visual-motor coordination.

The objective is not merely to correct vision with lenses or surgical procedures, but to ensure that individuals can use their visual system effectively for tasks such as reading, writing, and participating in sports. By developing these skills, therapy can help address issues like strabismus (crossed eyes), amblyopia (lazy eye), and other visual processing problems that might affect a person’s daily functioning and quality of life.

Other choices, such as diagnosing eye diseases or providing prescription lenses, fall outside the primary focus of vision therapy, as these roles are typically associated with the responsibilities of optometrists or ophthalmologists. Surgical interventions relate to physical changes to the eye itself, which do not align with the comprehensive training that vision therapy involves.