Wow Vision Therapy Blog

Robert initially was thought to have acuity issues at his well-child exam. He was then referred to an Optometrist, who then diagnosed him with Convergence Insufficiency. He could see 20/20. He had always struggled to read at grade level. He was always border line for intervention, making it even more difficult. His reading difficulties affected his confidence greatly. He is a quick learner and very perceptive. His struggles were perplexing and hard to understand why. Homework would take an hour or more, in part because of frequent meltdowns and also because of extra reading to help him improve his reading-level. Progress was slow and frustrating. We became hopeful with the Convergence Insufficiency diagnosis. Could this be the reason for his struggles in reading and if so, could this also carry over into his sports of hockey and baseball?

We attempted a month of home therapy and rechecked his progress with his optometrist. Robert’s Convergence Insufficiency had worsened significantly. His optometrist then recommended in-office vision therapy that he would provide. At his first visit, he did a more comprehensive exam. His optometrist found that not only did Robert have Convergence Insufficiency, but also he had issues with accommodation and tracking. It was at this point we were referred to Wow Vision Therapy.

There is a reason they have named it Wow Vision Therapy. Immediately, we became more aware of symptoms that we had dismissed. Head tilt when reading, reading out loud to comprehend what he was reading and distractibility- especially with homework. Since working with the vision therapists at Wow Vision Therapy (Pam, Emily and Dr. Edwards), Robert has drastically improved in many areas. His comprehension has improved from the level of a 4 year old, to now that of a 15 year old or beyond. He no longer struggles with homework completion. He often finishes it on the bus or within 20 min after being home from school. He is proud to say Mom, I don’t have to read out loud anymore.” After returning to school from Christmas break, we hardly recognized his handwriting as his own. His Dad would have sworn that Robert’s sister had done his homework for him, only I had witnessed him completing his work. This was an improvement that we didn’t expect, but were very happy to see. At parent-teacher conferences, his teacher reported great gains in reading level, desire to read, handwriting and confidence.

We were very thankful to have him in vision therapy during hockey season. Robert sustained a level 2 concussion during hockey practice. It is hard to determine when to let them return to the sport. Wow Vision Therapy did a concussion screening on him as part of the initial evaluation. This was his baseline. Because we had this, we were then able to have an additional tool to help us decide when he was safe to return to play. This was very reassuring as a parent of a child who has suffered a concussion. With Robert’s hockey performance, his stick handling and skating improved making him one of the most improved players on his team. Now, we are at the start of baseball season. Robert has a 1.0 batting average after 3 at bats. He is now playing more infield position because he has an accurate glove. He has been making great plays while playing first, second, and shortstop. Long story short, we feel very fortunate to have discovered his diagnosis and even more fortunate to have been referred to Wow Vision Therapy. Thanks to Pam, Emily, and Dr. Ryan Edwards, their improvements have immeasurable life-long implications.

Karen (Mother)