Behavioural Optometry
Factual Information for Parents, Professionals and Community
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Evidence-based practice is a important principle for ACBO Member optometrists. They undertake rigorous and extensive post=graduate training and consider the latest in research and evidence from the leaders in the fields of optometry and medicine.
Vision and Performance
Improve Your Vision
Most vision and perception skills are learned, and can generally be improved with practice under supervision (1).
Many visual problems can’t be corrected by glasses or contact lenses alone – visual training may be prescribed to treat some conditions, and to help patients learn or re-learn specific visual skills.
There is no “typical” program, since each patient will have individual needs. Patients may receive in-office treatment once a week, and could be given exercises to practice at home. They may be prescribed a set of lenses to support the visual training management.
Those patients who are motivated, willing to practice and follow instructions usually achieve significant improvements.
"Research estimates that up to 80 percent of perceptual input in performance situations comes from the eyes."(2)
Vision and Sport
Research has shown that athletes have better visual abilities than non-athletes (4). They can have larger visual fields, larger peripheral vision, larger motion perception fields, better eye coordination close-up and in the distance, more consistent simultaneous vision, more accurate depth perception, better dynamic visual acuity, and better eye movement. The research also shows that all of the above skills are trainable.
There is ample evidence (Ref ACBO Web Site) that training of visual skills programs designed on individual basis following particular guidelines can lead to an improved performance in various aspects of sports (5).
Sports authorities are beginning to appreciate the importance of vision training which is as important as physical training for better sports performance. Qualified eye care professionals (optometrist or ophthalmologist) with expertise in sports/performance vision should be involved as a part of sport-specific performance enhancement team at all levels.
Children and their classroom visual demands’ research shows that vision for purpose in classrooms has less to do with sight, and more to do with visual efficiency [6].
Research has shown there are strong connections between problems of visual function, visual perception (7), and learning.
There is growing evidence strongly suggesting that a single phonological deficit theory for severe learning problems is not true for many children with learning issues , and that visual cognitive weaknesses are much more prevalent in children with reading disability than in normal readers .
It is very important that children with reading and writing issues have a comprehensive examination with an optometrist experienced in assessing and treating problems of focusing, eye coordination and eye movements, as well as considerations of vision perceptual development to detect or rule out vision as a problem for reading.
"Learning to read is much easier if vision and hearing are working normally."