WE NOW OFFER
Behavioural Optometry
Emphasizing holistic visual skill development.
Behavioural Optometry is a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates the physical, neurological, and developmental aspects of vision and can therefore treat difficulties that standard optometry cannot.
As behavioural optometrists, we use a range of treatments to help our patients learn and function more efficiently. We treat:
Very few in the health care professions, including head trauma rehabilitation centres, are adequately aware of visual problems resulting from traumatic brain injury and the visual-perceptual consequences. Unfortunately, this creates a gap in rehabilitative services, resulting in incomplete treatment and frustration for the patient, family and treatment team.
The vision care professional can play an important role in the rehabilitation effort. Through vision therapy and the proper use of lenses, a behavioural optometrist specifically trained to work with traumatic brain injury patients can help improve the flow and processing of information between the eyes and the brain. Vision therapy can be very practical and effective. After evaluation, examination and consultation, the optometrist determines how a person processes information after an injury and where that persons strengths and weaknesses lie. The optometrist then prescribes a treatment: which may include lenses, prisms, low vision aids and optometric vision therapy designed to improve control of a persons visual system and increase vision efficiency. This in turn can help support many other activities in daily living.
Essentially, Traumatic Brain Injury is damage to the brain. It can result from a blow to the head, stroke, or neurological dysfunction. This can produce a diminished or altered state of consciousness, and may result in impairment of cognitive abilities, sensory processing and/or physical function. Impairments may be mild or severe; most are amenable to rehabilitation.
Often, visual problems resulting from Traumatic Brain Injury are overlooked. This makes rehabilitation longer and less effective. Vision is the most important source of sensory information.
It consists of a complex set of interconnecting sub-systems, which are used by the visual process. Processing the vast amount of information is easily disrupted.
Symptoms indicating a vision problem are:
• Blurred vision
• Sensitivity to light
• Reading difficulties; words appear to move
• Comprehension difficulty
• Attention and concentration difficulty
• Memory difficulty
• Double vision
• Aching eyes
• Headaches with visual tasks
• Loss of visual field
Please Note; Behavioural Optometry is currently only available at our Selly Oak branch. Call now or book an appointment using the button below!