What is Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation?
Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation is a sub-specialty of optometry that focuses on the variety of visual disorders that occur as a result of brain injuries, developmental delay or other neurological disorders.
Our eyes are a part of the brain. When someone suffers any type of injury to the brain, whether it is a stroke, car accident, or developmental delay, their vision may be adversely affected.
The Neuro-Optometric Evaluation
A Neuro-Optometric Evaluation involves in-depth testing which evaluates how well your vision functions and to what degree it is interfering with the overall performance of activities of daily living such as reading, balance and movement, tying shoes, pouring liquids, etc.
The Neuro-Optometric Evaluation is unique because, unlike a traditional eye exam, it includes performance testing to determine how the vision is interacting with the other senses. In addition, visual information processing skills are evaluated as they relate to vocational and avocational tasks.
Double Vision is Common after Stroke or Head Injury.
It is vital to the rehabilitation process that double vision is treated as soon as possible; the overall rehabilitation will otherwise be significantly delayed.
Double vision can cause problems with:
- Hand-writing
- Anxiety with visual tasks
- Reach and grab inaccuracies
- Balance and movement difficulties like drifting when walking, stumbling or falling
- Driving difficulties with lane positioning, proper speed maintenance, multitasking, navigation
Vision Problems Can Be Disabling
People who suffer from Acquired Brain Injury (ABI), Neuro-Developmental or Neuro-Degenerative Disorders commonly have various Functional Vision Problems leading to decreased performance of Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s). Sometimes when one suffers a head injury their sense of where the middle of their body is can change. This can cause:
- Dizziness or nausea
- Spatial disorientation
- Consistently stays to one side of hallway or room
- Bumps into objects when walking
- Poor walking or posture: leans back on heels, forward, or to one side when walking, standing or seated in a chair
- Perception of the floor being tilted
- Associated neuromotor difficulties with balance, coordination and posture
Vision problems associated with brain injuries can be disabling and increase dependency as well as risk of secondary injury unless treated.
Do you have a vision problem?
Treatment
Treatment can involve special therapeutic lenses (worn similar to glasses) or may involve a more in-depth program. Neuro-optometric rehabilitative therapy is a non-invasive process for the rehabilitation of visual, perceptual, and motor disorders. Working one on one with our vision therapist, you learn how to regain control of your vision.
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