These folks are wrong. Vision therapy can help some children with learning difficulties. There are many different ways in which our eyes can affect how we process information. I am a perfect example of how successful eye therapy can be. When I was 10 I received eye/ body training for dyslexia, it definitely made a difference.

I also was one of the first groups of individuals who went through Helen Ilene’s program for light sensitive eyes. Until I met her, I always thought it was normal for the air and white walls to look like they were pulsating or “breathing”. While I had colored lenses, I found that using a light green colored paper to take notes on helped even more. I also had all my tests in school given to me on light green paper and I used a light green transparency when I read a book (don’t rush out and get a bunch of light green paper, the colors that help may be different for different people.)

I am now a mother of a seven year old child. As a younger, but very smart kid he seemed to be having an extremely difficult time with determining his left and his right. While this is very common for his age, my gut told me the problem seemed worse then it should be. I took him to see a vision therapist and we did six months of therapy. I was very surprised to see that many of the therapies they used were the same ones I did thirty years ago. It must work for some people if it has been around that long! They have found that the best time to do the therapies is between the ages of six and eight. This is the time when specific neuropathways are being laid down in the brain. There therapies basically help set up the correct pathways is the brain.

What a difference the therapy made! We also discovered that my son had absolutely no ability to “hear” a steady rhythm or beat. This came as no surprise to me because I cannot hear a rhythm of a beat. To me most music (especially with people singing annoys me). I had my son due Metronome therapy for fifteen sessions. After the 4th session, I noticed that his form in His Tae Kwan Doe seemed to just improve immediately. He picked up his new belt form in under one month when it had taken him four to six months prior to the metronome therapy.

If you decide to try any of these types of therapies don’t necessarily expect your child to have the immediate results that my child had. He is one of those otherwise minded or “gifted” kids. He picks things up very quickly. But because of his ability to pick things up quickly, I have been able to note the drastic positive results which I have observed with all of you. So basically, I know the therapies “can” work.

Now with this all said, please remember that all children/people are different. Different things work for different people. There is no single “right” answer for most learning problems. Despite what American Academy of Pediatrics say, vision therapy may indeed work for some kids. I think the problem with doing studies on it is that it required a long time study because some of the therapies can last for years depending on the child. Also, each and every child is different, what works for one may not work for another.

Basically, go with your gut!

hi i am just feeling a bit overwhelmed today i just found out that my son needs colored lenses his vision is 20/ 20 but the eyes are sensitivity to lights, white papers, when wearing the colored lenses he can see the things clear without the blue lenses he has trouble. i know the glasses work as i needed them at school. i just hate that he is presenting like me with his eye speech and language since i had a very hard time at school i don't want him too go through the same as me. he is 5. he is a great kid kind loving funny outgoing i don't want these difficulties to define him.

Ignore the American Academy of Pediatrics!

It will take a while, but many of us are beginning to understand and view the AAP in the same way most now recognize the American Dental Association (ADA); as a trade union organization where the REAL mission is to raise the income of it's members, taking in millions in pharmaceutical industry "support" and advertising. Most of the time these interests have nothing to do with the health of the public and, more often than not, are directly in conflict with patients' best interests. ("Keep placing amalgam fillings. Mercury won't hurt ya! Besides.... we need the royalties from our patents on amalgams!!")
The AAP is notorious for using their purchased public esteem and hired public relations firms to keep up smear campaigns against any practitioners or modalities that compete with their "piece of the pie," and use the tired old charge of "scientifically unsupported" to shake people's faith in trying anything that challenges pediatricians' alledged role as being the Go To Guys for all available advice and treatment. "Evidence Based Medicine" is a highly overrated concept; not every treatment approach is single factorial and not every modality can be lucrative enough to interest Deep Pockets to invest millions in doing trials that would produce the "data" necessary satisfy the criteria of being "scientifically supported." Which DOESN'T mean it doesn't work! Do NOT look to the AAP for real information on what works and what doesn't! Talk to people who've tried it. Worth 1,000 trips to the pediatrician!

My son could not copy from a board, could not track across the page well enough to read, and had very weak spatial skills. Vision therapy allowed him to master these skills in order for academic interventions to be more successful. However, the doctor we used NEVER said it was a cure for learning disabilities and was adamant that VT would not correct the academic problems, only remediation could do that. I never went into it thinking it was a cure all nor was it sold to me that way.

i was wanting to know more about vision therapy. her eye doctor said she needed some vision eye therapy for her eyes. i would like some imput on this subject.

This blog may provide additional clarification regarding vision therapy: eideneurolearningblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/more-vision-wars-visual-training-for.html

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I am dyslexic myself and found that it helped as a kid when i try to read the words and letters would move on the page and i did not have very good tracking skills. it helped me learn, i still have a learning difficulties but as a adult found ways to cope. My son has trouble with his vision and is about to start a program to help. all kids are different and not everything works the same way for every child i think that is the problem they have with it. learning problems, adhd, dyslexic are not infections and a disease you have to look at each child and there needs and strengths are and work with them to excel. School for me was not a happy or helpful place for me because they taught only one way which did not help me most of my learning came after school.

I must disagree with this article. My daughter benefited greatly from vision therapy and is now reading on grade level. The initial eval was very disheartening but once she started therapy I was able to understand exactly why she wasn't progressing. She truly did not have the ability to refocus her eyes or track words even though she was using her finger as a guide. This was a very costly program but I would highly recommend it.