Vision therapy for children in London, Ontario

Seeing clearly isn't the whole picture

An eye chart checks how clearly a child sees letters at a distance. Classroom work asks more: both eyes aiming together at the page, focusing up close for long stretches, moving accurately along a line of text, and making sense of what's seen. A child can have 20/20 eyesight and still struggle with these skills.

Signs to watch for

• Skipping lines, losing their place, or using a finger to keep track
• Headaches, eye rubbing or tiredness during homework
• Reading slowly, or understanding more when a story is read aloud
• Avoiding reading or other close work
• Covering or closing one eye, or tilting the head
• Messy handwriting or trouble copying from the board
• Short attention for close work but not for other activities

Vision therapy doesn't treat dyslexia, ADHD or other learning disabilities. A vision problem can mimic them or add to them, though, so it's worth ruling out. We work alongside teachers, tutors and other professionals, not in place of them.

How we assess it

The evaluation looks at eye teaming, focusing, eye movements and visual-perceptual skills, using age-appropriate tests. Afterward we explain what we found in plain language and, with your permission, share findings with your child's school or other professionals.

Eye health and the basic glasses prescription stay with your child's regular optometrist.

How we treat it

Some children need only neuro-functional glasses for reading and close work, and we reassess after a few weeks. Others need vision therapy: in-office sessions with one of our optometrists, plus short exercises at home. Therapy targets the skills that tested low and progresses as they improve.

If your child has a lazy eye, an eye turn or convergence insufficiency, those pages explain the treatment in more detail.

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