How to Find a Vision Therapist

Visual therapy, or vision therapy, is a program of vision exercises designed to correct vision problems, especially in children, that may interfere with reading, writing, and education. Vision therapy also may include training glasses or other medical equipment. Sometimes a child's teacher will recommend visual therapy if the child has trouble reading or writing. To find a visual therapist, look for a developmental optometrist near you and schedule a comprehensive exam. [1]

Part 1 - Finding a Developmental Optometrist

1

→ Search the COVD directory. The College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) is a professional organization for developmental optometrists. You can locate a developmental optometrist near you on their website.

→ Go to www.covd.org. If you live in the United States, you can enter your ZIP code at the top of the organization's home page.

→ The organization also has chapters in Canada and South Korea, so if you live in one of those countries you can find your national directory by clicking the link for your national chapter.

→ Other countries may be available on the main website. Check the advanced search features.

2

→ Check with the Optometrists Network. The Optometrists Network is a global network of developmental optometrists. You may be able to find developmental optometrists near you by searching their online directory.

→ The website for the Optometrists Network is www.optometrists.org. Once there, click "Find a Doctor" to look for a developmental optometrist near you. In addition to the U.S. and Canada, the Optometrists Network also includes optometrists in Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, South Africa, and the UK.

→ The website also has additional information you can read through to learn more about vision therapy.

3

→ Talk to your primary health care provider. If you are unable to find a developmental optometrist online, your physician or your child's pediatrician may be able to refer you or your child to a developmental optometrist in your area.

→ The child's pediatrician also is a good source for a recommendation for an ophthalmologist, who you may want to see to rule out any eye diseases that are causing the vision problem.

→ Keep in mind it is possible your primary care physician may not know of anyone for whom they can offer a referral. However, they may have a good idea of where to look or be able to give you some additional tips on how to go about your search.

4

→ Confirm your insurance. While insurance often will cover the exams, it may not cover vision therapy if the developmental therapist recommends it. You need to make sure you understand what your insurance will cover from the outset.

→ Ask separately about examinations and vision therapy. Some insurance companies will cover one but not the other.

→ Make sure the developmental optometrists that you've located take your insurance.

→ You also need to find out how many total sessions are covered, and how much of the cost is covered. Keep in mind that you may need to make several calls to your insurance company's customer service line to know for sure.

5

→ Interview several developmental optometrists. In some areas, there may not be many developmental optometrists near you. In that case, you may have no choice but to go with the first one you find.

→ If there are several in your area, talking to each of them can help you choose the one that best suits your budget and the needs of your child. Particularly if your child is shy or anxious around other adults, you also can try to find the one with whom your child is most comfortable.

→ If you have the option, find someone who does office-based vision therapy themselves, rather than referring your child out. The exam typically will be more accurate and more comprehensive, because they'll know what to look for and what a therapist needs to know.

→ Ask about total cost of therapy, and how many sessions they typically recommend. Compare this to what you've found out about your insurance coverage.

6

→ Contact references. A good developmental optometrist should be able to provide you with the names and contact information for several satisfied parents who have used their services. Talking to these parents can give you a better idea of what to expect.

→ If a developmental optometrist gives you people to call, be professional and courteous but up-front with these parents. Don't be afraid to ask about anything you want to know, including the total cost of the treatment.

→ Find out what problems their children had, and whether they noticed a significant difference through therapy.

→ You also might ask about their personal experience with the developmental optometrist and their office. Find out things such as how communicative the staff and optometrist were, what happens if you have to cancel an appointment, and how patients and parents are treated generally.

Part 2 - Getting a Comprehensive Exam

1

→ Do a home vision assessment. If visual therapy has been recommended for your child, you may want to go through a home vision assessment to determine if therapy is necessary or would be beneficial.

→ You can find assessments online, typically offered by dyslexia organizations. Check the "about" page of any website where you find an assessment, and review the organization's credentials.

→ An assessment is helpful if your child has had trouble with reading at school, particularly if you have limited finances. Getting vision therapy can be very expensive. The assessment will help you determine if the problem is vision-related at all, or if your child simply doesn't like to read for another reason.

→ A thorough at-home assessment involves both your observations as well as the child's observations.

2

→ Schedule a visit with an ophthalmologist. Getting a comprehensive eye examination is a lengthy process, and can be expensive – especially if it's not covered by your insurance. For that reason, it may be best to take your child to an ophthalmologist first.

→ Look for an ophthalmologist who has experience working with kids. If possible, you also want someone who has experience working with kids who have difficulties similar to those your child is having.

→ An ophthalmologist can screen for pediatric eye diseases and other disorders that may be causing symptomatic problems with vision.

→ If a disease is identified, typically treating that disease will remedy the problem without the need for extensive vision therapy.

3

→ Have visual skills tested by a developmental optometrist. A comprehensive eye examination will test all visual skills, including the function and performance of your child's eyes. This examination helps determine whether the child has eye problems that may be causing developmental delays or learning problems.

→ Typically when your child gets their eyes tested at a school vision screening, it only tests for the sharpness and clearness of the child's vision at a distance. However, other eye functions, such as focus and depth perception, are important to a child's growth and development.

→ The comprehensive eye exam also will test color vision, the ability of the eyes to work together, and the ability of the eyes to work together with other senses.

→ Keep in mind that many problems with these other visual skills, if detected early enough, can be improved with vision therapy.

4

→ Talk to the developmental optometrist about the results. Once the examination is complete, the developmental optometrist typically will prepare a report for you that summarizes the examination and their recommendations based on that examination.

→ The developmental optometrist should provide you a plan, including the total number of sessions they recommend. They also will talk to you about potential outcomes as a result of the therapy.

→ Even if you decide not to go through with the therapy immediately, it's still helpful to get the examination done. The report can help you work on the issue at home and improve your child's vision.

5

→ Consider getting a second opinion. If you haven't already taken your child to an ophthalmologist, you may want to do so after getting the results of the comprehensive eye exam to rule out any disorders or diseases.

→ Bring the comprehensive eye exam report with you so the ophthalmologist can review it themselves.

Part 3 - Starting Vision Therapy

1

→ Get an estimate of overall costs. Vision therapy often is fairly expensive. You should expect each visit to cost several hundred dollars. This could put the total cost into the thousands, depending on how many visits the developmental optometrist recommends.

→ You may be able to lower the costs by doing more therapy exercises at home and only going once every other week instead of once a week.

→ If the overall cost is outside your financial means, talk to the developmental optometrist about what you can do to bring it down.

2

→ Search for alternatives. If in-office vision therapy is completely off the table for you from a financial standpoint, there may be lower-cost options you could pursue that would have similar effects to the vision therapy recommended.

→ In some areas, you may be able to find free or reduced-cost vision therapy from government institutions or nonprofit organizations. The developmental optometrist may be able to point you towards resources in your area.

→ Some developmental optometrists also work with computer-based programs online, which can not only reduce your costs but cut your travel time – especially if you're having to travel a long distance to get to their office.

3

→ Schedule in-office therapy sessions once a week. Vision therapy has the best results if you can get your child into the office to do sessions with the developmental optometrist at least once a week. There are exercises and procedures that can be done in the office that can't be done at home.

→ The therapy plan will be designed specifically to suit the needs of your child, and typically will require several 30-minute to hour-long sessions.

→ These exercises aren't necessarily designed to strengthen eye muscles, but rather to improve or help develop visual skills and abilities. The specific exercises and procedures used will depend on your child's vision needs.