Wow Vision Therapy Blog

The Better Behavior Show – How Vision Problems Impact Child Behavior (CLIP)

Podcaster Dr. Nicole Beurkens interviews Dr. Dan Fortenbacher

Amblyopia or Lazy Eye is the most common form of vision loss in children that affects about 3.5% of the population. As a result, when parents first learn that their child has Lazy Eye (Amblyopia), the most common worry is that their child can’t see properly, even with glasses, in their affected Lazy Eye. In addition, those with Amblyopia have a failure in binocular vision, which prevents them from experiencing depth perception.

Too often, a parent is advised that the only treatment for their child is to wear an eye patch on the child’s “good eye” to force the Lazy Eye to see. While this treatment model has some potential therapeutic value, it also comes with associated negative side effects that can be very difficult for the child. Research shows that patching has poor compliance. Even when done as prescribed, the patient will regress after patching is discontinued. Furthermore, patching has an age-related time limit, which means it is only therapeutic if done with full compliance up to about age 10.

However, the biggest part missing with occlusion treatment is that patching does nothing to develop a patient’s depth perception. In fact, patching hinders binocular vision development and depth perception. Only with effective binocular vision does depth perception develop, enabling us to see “pockets of space” and enjoy the beauty of our environment as well as to have better judgments for eye-hand coordination and general coordination in our obstacle loaded environment.

At Wow Vision Therapy, we provide the most advanced and effective treatment models for Amblyopia/Lazy Eye that begins with developing a patient’s “binocular vision” first. Our patients do not have to wear an eye patch or use eye medication to dilate and blur the “good eye.” Our process in treatment is engaging and enjoyable. Our therapy also helps the patient to gain depth perception as an initial goal in treatment. This is especially good in the summer months when the beauty of the summer flowers, trees, and clouds add the bonus to experiencing with two eyes working together. Furthermore, there are no age barriers with our model of care. We can get positive results even with our older adult patients with Amblyopia.

For more information check out our website at https://wowvision.net/amblyopia-treatment/

Listen to the full interview with the Better Behavior show at https://www.drbeurkens.com/podcast/how-vision-problems-can-easily-go-undetected-in-children/

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