Comments on: The Eyes Have It http://american-family.org/2009/12/17/the-eyes-have-it-2/ Sat, 14 Aug 2010 23:50:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Karen http://american-family.org/2009/12/17/the-eyes-have-it-2/comment-page-1/#comment-137991 Karen Sun, 03 Jan 2010 15:01:23 +0000 http://american-family.org/?p=2579#comment-137991 Our oldest daughter also had visual processing issues - especially with tracking and convergence. We got the hard sell for vision therapy - when I left I felt I had just been to the used car lot but using my daughter to pull at my heartstrings! We Googled like crazy and consulted other professionals and got the OT evaluation. While I am sure there are many excellent developmental ophthalmologists, you need to be VERY careful before diving into vision therapy - many are businesses which are pre-packaged franchises designed to empty your pockets. Be careful! Vision processing issues are often based in lack of core strength - as you said lack of belly time. VT does not address this but OT does. Our daughter was successful with the OT vs. VT. She will never be 100% but it really improved her reading, attention, fine motor, etc. We were given (paid by insurance!) many tools for her to use at school and at home - slant boards,clear magnified rulers and even simple prism coloring books. We were given exercises to do at home and only visited the OT every two weeks - much easier on our schedule that VT would have been. Gymnastics and dance were also helpful as when the OT was done, this continues to strengthen her core. Just our experience and we don't feel "quite" so poor! Our oldest daughter also had visual processing issues – especially with tracking and convergence. We got the hard sell for vision therapy – when I left I felt I had just been to the used car lot but using my daughter to pull at my heartstrings! We Googled like crazy and consulted other professionals and got the OT evaluation. While I am sure there are many excellent developmental ophthalmologists, you need to be VERY careful before diving into vision therapy – many are businesses which are pre-packaged franchises designed to empty your pockets. Be careful!

Vision processing issues are often based in lack of core strength – as you said lack of belly time. VT does not address this but OT does. Our daughter was successful with the OT vs. VT. She will never be 100% but it really improved her reading, attention, fine motor, etc. We were given (paid by insurance!) many tools for her to use at school and at home – slant boards,clear magnified rulers and even simple prism coloring books. We were given exercises to do at home and only visited the OT every two weeks – much easier on our schedule that VT would have been. Gymnastics and dance were also helpful as when the OT was done, this continues to strengthen her core.

Just our experience and we don’t feel “quite” so poor!

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