Emily was always a good student and liked school. However, she had been having headaches, stomachaches, and would sometimes complain about having trouble seeing things. Our optometrist referred us to Dr. Tod Davis for vision therapy. We found out that she had been seeing double when reading, and struggled with tasks at school like copying from the board, and multiple-choice tests which required “filling in the bubbles” to give an answer. We later realized that she was compensating, getting notes from friends at school rather than copying from the board in order to maintain her grades.

I’m a family therapist and was interested in the research, so I was all for it. My husband, however, was a little skeptical about having Emily undergo the therapy. During the one year process, he asked at one point, “How do we know that this really helping?” However, by the end of it, there was definitely a difference in Emily’s vision and we both were so glad that we had made the commitment to vision therapy.

After vision therapy, though, Emily is much more confident at school, especially in math where copying numbers had been a real challenge. Now that the convergence issue has been resolved, she is able to read much faster. She is now truly enjoying school and reading more. She occasionally uses her glasses at times when there is a lot of reading or computer work involved, but she rarely needs them anymore. Vision therapy has made a huge difference!

“Jack received straight A’s on his report card for the first time in his life, and has enjoyed vision therapy immensely. He has repeatedly talked about how much he will miss the therapy sessions. ‘Ms. Beth’ has been an absolute joy to work with, and she made therapy both fun and challenging. Thank you so much, Dr. Davis!”

• Oculomotor Function (eye tracking)
• Binocularity (locating objects)
• Focus (identifying objects)
• Reflexes
• Vestibular Integration
• Form Memory
• Sequential Memory

Additionally, Gracie’s parents have reported, in a self-evaluation, improvement in the following areas:

• Reading Ability
• Reading Comprehension
• Reading Endurance
• Reading Independence
• Loss of Place Frequency While Reading
• Oral Reading Fluidity
• Reading Enjoyment
• Reading Fatigue
• Handwriting
• Spelling
• Educational Enjoyment
• Ease of Study
• Self-Confidence
• Self-Esteem
• Concentration
• Attention Span
• Happiness
• Memory
• Sports
• Clumsiness
• Ocular Control
• Distance Vision
• Depth Perception
• Peripheral Vision

Gracie’s father gives the following statement in light of the progress we have made through our vision therapy sessions with Gracie:

“We recently started section 3 of vision therapy and Grace still very much enjoys it. The therapy is fun to her, rather than work. The home exercises prescribed for section 3 are also very enjoyable, even as we get more and more involved with actual eye functions. When we first walked through the door in Dr. Davis’ office, we never could have imagined that she would have made the progress she has made already. It’s been truly remarkable! We can hardly wait for more improvements, and we’re sure they are on their way. Whatever the cause was of Gracie’s vision problems, we know for a fact: Vision Therapy is the answer.”

We used to struggle to get our daughter to do homework. It was like a tug of war whenever she came home from school. Usually, all we could do is get her to rush through her homework right before she went to bed.

Within six sessions after Annie started with the therapy, I noticed that she was coming home less frustrated. Part of this was her having been prescribed with bifocals by Dr. Davis. Even more amazing was that when I asked about her homework, she said that she had completed the work at school during their free time. Huh? Is this the same kid?

Annie’s homework assignments used to look rushed and sloppy. After starting to see Dr. Davis, her handwriting has become much neater, and she is able to pay a lot more attention to her work.

Vision therapy has been one of the single most beneficial things we have done for our daughter. It has grounded her, calmed her, and allowed her world to open up.

Thank you Dr. Davis, for making such a wonderful difference in my daughter’s life!”

*Privacy Statement:
The above is an actual story from one of our clients. Minimal edits have been made for readability, and names have been changed to protect the privacy of the client. Dr. Davis cares deeply about the privacy of all of his clients, and all information in the above success story was volunteered by the client.

Recently, the new 3D technology has been receiving a significant amount of attention, especially with the option of 3D at the theaters, a new Nintendo 3DS, classroom use of 3D technology, and even 3D home televisions. The American Optometric Association, with the explosion of 3D technology, has issued a public health warning article titled “3D in the Classroom: See Well, Learn Well.” The purpose of the article is to educate the public about people who are uncomfortable with watching 3D, as there have been an increasing number of these reports.

What does it mean to be uncomfortable with viewing 3D on a screen? In most cases, this is a strong sign of a binocular vision disorder, such as convergence insufficiency. Convergence insufficiency is when the eyes have issues working together at close range, also known as an eye teaming problem, where the eyes drift out despite trying to do near work. In an effort to keep the eyes working, the individual has to: make an extra effort to bring the eyes together (which causes fatigue, headache, etc.); cover one eye; or, the brain will actually suppress the vision in one eye, all to avoid swimming letters and double vision.

Some people have said that if watching 3D movies bothers an individual, than that individual should simply not look at 3D screens. However, the reality is that an issue with viewing 3D properly is strong evidence that there’s a problem with the viewer’s binocular vision.

There has always been 3D for people: The real world and binocular vision work together to create the same effect. In fact, 3D viewing technologies enable us to screen for vision disorders in a new and very efficient way: When someone with a vision disorder watches a program or movie, or plays a game which utilizes this technology, they suffer from the “3D’s of Viewing 3D: dizziness, discomfort and lack of depth.” This is also known as 3D Vision Syndrome, and it reveals vision disorders such as convergence insufficiency.

Here is the good news: binocular conditions such as convergence insufficiency are treatable. This is where vision therapy comes in. Vision therapy can help a child (or an adult, even) with eye teaming issues. People that struggle to do work at close range – or that struggle to watch 3D screens – don’t have to continue to struggle, and through the work of vision therapy they can retrain the eyes to work together properly, giving them both excellent binocular vision in real life, and the ability to watch 3D screens.

In addition, viewing anything in 3D, be it a video game, movie, or television program, has no worse impact on the viewer than the 2D equivalent. Certainly, you should limit the viewing of television, especially for children; yet, this is true whether the television is in 2D or 3D. This makes 3D technology a boon to schools, homes, and theaters as more and more people are “tested” for vision disorders (such as convergence insufficiency) in the name of education and fun!

I maintain that for these reasons, the increase in 3D technology is a good thing. The use of the 3D technology has been, and will continue to be, extremely helpful in the diagnosis of vision disorders such as convergence insufficiency.

Sources & Resources:
“3D in the Classroom: See Well, Learn Well” editorial by Dominick M. Maino, OD, Med, FAAO, FCOVD-A

“3-D Vision Syndrome…linked to ‘ADD-like’ behaviors in children” by D. Fortenbacher, O.D., FCOVD

The American Optometric Associations’s page on 3D

“3D in the Classroom: See Well, Learn Well” by the American Optometric Association

A site dedicated to 3D Vision & Eye Health by the American Optometric Association

“What is Convergence Insufficiency?” by the Optometrists Network

“My school work has really improved,” he said. “I passed all my fall semester classes and raised my GPA to a 3.2.”

Patients with convergence insufficiency commonly complain of headaches and blurred, or double vision while doing close work, such as on the computer or at their desk. They frequently have short attention spans and problems remembering what they’ve read. They often squint or rub their eyes.

“Many times these problems are diagnosed as learning disorders,” Dr. Davis said, “when in actuality, a vision problem is the culprit. That’s why we’re here.”

Dr. Davis administers a comprehensive vision exam which includes visual skills testing to determine how the eyes work at close distances and as a coordinated team. The tests also measure muscle control and other age-appropriate visual perceptions.

But better grades aren’t the only benefit Kevin has seen from vision therapy. “I’ve grown more confident socially and my sense of humor has improved,” he said with a smile. “I feel like I accomplish things quicker. My lifetime goal of becoming a police officer is now obtainable – and I’m sure I’ll be a good one.”

“I’d recommend Dr. Davis’ vision therapy to anyone. It changed my life and it can change yours.”

Dr. Tod Davis Developmental Optometry and Vision Therapy Services offices are located in Gainesville, Fredericksburg and Winchester, Virginia.

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by Kevin