Wow Vision Therapy Blog

Lazy Eye, Amblyopia, is a condition of visual impairment that affects about 1 in 30 individuals. There are different forms of Amblyopia, some are due to a form of eye teaming failure (Strabismus) that occurs in infancy or toddlerhood, and the other is due to a significant imbalance in refractive state (farsightedness, nearsightedness, astigmatism) between the two eyes, known as Refractive Amblyopia. In addition to providing the correct ophthalmic lens correction (eyeglasses), often a standard approach to treatment is patching the good eye for extended periods of time. However, patching often yields limited results has many side effects, does not develop normal depth perception, and typically is not effective past 10 years of age. 

However, we provide the latest most effective treatment for amblyopia at Wow Vision Therapy, for those who pursue our treatment, regardless of age, can have significantly improved visual acuity, depth perception, visual processing, reading speed, fluency, and eye-hand coordination.

For those with Refractive Amblyopia, in most patients with mild to moderate refractive amblyopia, this can even be accomplished relatively quickly,  in only 2-3 months and without patching. Equally important, our patients have a very positive experience during the process from beginning to completion. To see an example of one of our patients, here is Ben’s Success Story, written by his mother:

When we received a letter from the health department in late December of 2022 that Ben had failed his vision screening at school, I wasn’t totally surprised, as both my husband and I use corrective lenses. Ben was in 3rd grade, and the school vision test that would have been done when he was in 1st grade did not happen because of the pandemic.

We got him in quickly with our Ophthalmologist for a screening, and when they covered his left eye and asked him to read the vision test, he said he couldn’t read any of the letters. I thought surely he just didn’t understand what they were asking him to do as this was his first eye exam, so I asked if he could see the big ones on top. When he said no, I was shocked! He had never complained about having vision problems before, but as I later realized, he had never known any different and had always just been used to compensating.

The eye doctor said they were not sure how much improvement could be done to his 20/80 vision (with glasses) in the right eye due to his age, but they gave us a referral to Wow Vision Therapy. I called them pretty much immediately and got him set up for an assessment.

After his assessment, we learned that his right would just cut out at around 7 feet. Because it couldn’t see clearly, his brain would just turn it off, so he was really relying solely on his left eye for the most part. He also could not see any images in 3D.

After our initial assessment, I was reassured that a lot could be done to help Ben improve his vision, and it was with fun activities and using virtual reality!

We are so thankful to Wow Vision Therapy and Ben’s therapist Mitchell for helping to improve his vision – a lifetime benefit!

After Ben completed 25 sessions, his vision in his right eye improved to 20/25 with glasses.

If you or your child has amblyopia and would like to learn more about what can be done to help, please contact us. 

Dan L. Fortenbacher, O.D., FCOVD
Founder
Wow Vision Therapy

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