Vision Therapy at Lyons Family Eye Care

05/27/2025

A colleague of mine was featured on this video about Sports Vision:

The Vision Therapy Center provides vision therapy to help people improve the efficiency of their visual system.

05/24/2025

My colleague is in the news!

https://wsbt.com/news/operation-education/vision-visual-processing-delay-learning-language-reading-math-disorder-dyslexia-diagnosis-letter-reversal-eye-brain-therapy?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR4bADVDlCrze7NC_x6RMrvJHu_z0V-hU9rmWEEqvFDQ4e74hJD4fbTFUALTQw_aem_-KWsBqGMfm5zF-GS1zbk7w

Learning to read is not easy, but it is made more difficult for a child who cannot see the words and letters on the page correctly.It may not be a problem with

05/05/2025

Here's a video from my colleagues in Wisconsin.

Lyons Family Eye Care provides vision therapy for our patients as well.

Who can benefit from Vision Therapy

Our doctors specialize in developmental optometry and they perform comprehensive vision exams. We provide vision therapy, which is a specialty of optometry.

05/02/2025

Can you believe it?! TOMORROW IS CLOSING DAY FOR HANNAH & HALMONI! 🎉 Use the code DOUBLE25 for a discount on your tickets and don’t miss your last chance to see this show!

04/30/2025

Lyons Family Eye Care have InfantSee doctors. Call, Let us know this is for an InfantSee evaluation and we'll make an appointment.

A no-cost eye assessment is important for your infant because undetected and untreated eye and vision disorders, such as amblyopia and strabismus, too often become barriers to learning, leading to delayed reading and poorer outcomes in school.

In-person comprehensive eye exams provided by a doctor of optometry are essential and thoroughly effective at identifying and ensuring early treatment for the range of vision and eye health issues that can impact a child's development and learning abilities.

04/25/2025

Get the kids outside to play! Reduce the need for glasses!!!

Could sunshine be the answer to a looming eye health epidemic? Rates of nearsightedness, or myopia, are skyrocketing, and researchers say it has to do with a lack of time spent outdoors. This Earth Day, head outside with your kids to protect their vision and schedule annual in-person exams to detect conditions like myopia early here: https://bit.ly/4jBP7Ra

04/22/2025

Stereograns for kids!

Look through the images as if you are looking behind the picture.

Explore the mesmerizing world of Thorby's Stereograms. Browse our stunning portfolio showcasing unique 3D artwork, optical illusions, and artistic creativity that will captivate your imagination and inspire wonder.

04/21/2025

Learning cursive, using handwriting and not a keyboard may be the best way to learn.

Handwriting Lights Up Your Brain

"...note-taking was significantly more effective in learning and remembering than simply listening passively.... compared to longhand note-takers, laptop users are much more likely to be distracted. Studies show undergraduates spend about half to two-thirds of class time off-task when using laptops, resulting in poorer performance....

"... Handwriting stimulated widespread, synchronized brain activity across regions linked to memory and learning while typing produced substantially weaker patterns of neural engagement...."

>>>>BTW I had to use handwriting while taking notes. No keyboards/computers were available at the time. [Yep, I'm THAT old!] I wished I had a keyboard mostly because my handwriting was so terrible that even after I wrote it "I" could not read it!

Pick up a pen to activate neural pathways that might otherwise remain dormant.

04/03/2025

A colleague of mine recently posted this article. thought you might find it interesting.

Lyons Family Eye Care works with children and adults with ADHD and vision problems that could affect attention.

[BTW the author of this article is a former student of Dr. Maino; Dr. Dr. Bryce Appelbaum]

Does your child have ADHD or vision problems? Neuro-optometrist says both share similar symptoms

"...an ADHD diagnosis isn't complete without ruling out a functional vision problem.

"Symptoms of ADD or ADHD and functional vision problems are so, so similar,..."

Read more here:

Neuro-optometrist Dr. Bryce Appelbaum says an ADHD diagnosis isn't complete without ruling out a functional vision problem.

03/20/2025

You might want to consider ditching that digital tablet and picking up a book for reading!

Why Reading Print Is Better for Your Brain

"...Children with just one book at home are nearly twice as likely to meet literacy and numeracy standards as those without, regardless of income, education, or geography. Beyond developing basic literacy, physical books foster crucial parent–child interactions that build social-emotional and cognitive skills...."

https://visionhelp.wordpress.com/2025/03/14/why-reading-print-is-better-for-your-brain/?

Thanks to our colleague, Dr. Curt Baxstrom, for sharing this piece from Epoch Health. It is written by Eric Kube, who holds a bachelor’s in neuroscience and a master’s in humanities with a focus on…

03/01/2025

Lyons Family Eye Care optometric vision therapy for convergence insufficiency (CI) (and other binocular vision problems) involves a series of therapy procedures to improve eye movement, eye coordination, 3-D vision and focusing ability of the eyes. This therapy is typically conducted in-office with a trained optometrist or optometric therapist and may be supplemented with home exercises. Here are some key aspects of how it works:

Vision Therapy: The therapy includes specific exercises that aim to improve the brain's ability to move the eye muscles and the ability to converge the eyes effectively. These exercises help in retraining the brain's visual system to work more efficiently.

Fusional Range Improvement: Vision therapy focuses on increasing the fusional vergence range, which is the ability of the eyes to maintain single vision while focusing on a near object. This is crucial for reducing symptoms like double vision and eye strain.

Customized Programs: Each therapy program is tailored to the individual needs of the patient, taking into account the severity of their CI and their specific symptoms.

Combination of Techniques: The therapy may include the use of specialized equipment, such as prisms, stereograms, and computer-based exercises, to enhance the effectiveness of the treatment.

Regular Monitoring: Progress is regularly monitored by the Doctors of Optometry who adjust the therapy as needed and ensure optimal outcomes.

Vision therapy is effective in improving both the symptoms and clinical signs of convergence insufficiency, making it a valuable non-surgical treatment option for this condition.

02/27/2025

Did you know low plus lenses at best can help convergence insufficiency?

There has been research indicating that low-plus prescriptions, such as a +0.50 add at near, may be effective in treating convergence insufficiency (CI). Here’s a summary of the key studies and findings:
1. Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial (CITT) Study:
• Purpose: The CITT study is one of the most comprehensive clinical trials on CI and investigated various treatments, including the use of near-vision prism and accommodative additions.
• Results: The study found that adding a small near prescription (like +0.50 or +1.00) could reduce symptoms of CI and improve near point convergence (NPC) in some patients. Although the CITT primarily focused on vision therapy, the results suggested that adding low plus lenses could be a useful adjunct to therapy.
2. Vision Therapy vs. Spectacle Lenses:
• Study: A 2011 study by Scheiman et al. published in Optometry and Vision Science compared spectacle lenses with vision therapy for treating CI. It found that a low plus addition of +0.50 to +1.00 could significantly improve near-point convergence and symptom relief for those with mild CI.
• Results: The study showed that spectacle lenses with +0.50 to +1.00 add were comparable to vision therapy in improving convergence, especially in cases of mild to moderate CI.
3. Accommodative Lenses in Convergence Insufficiency:
• Study: A 2013 paper by Solan et al., published in the Journal of the American Optometric Association, discussed how small accommodative additions, like a +0.50 lens, could provide symptomatic relief for patients with CI by reducing the strain on the convergence system during near tasks.
• Results: This study noted that low plus lenses can improve visual comfort for those with CI by addressing accommodative stress, though their effectiveness is often enhanced when combined with other treatments like vision therapy.
4. Low Plus Lenses as a Temporary Solution:
• Study: Another study by Sweeney et al. (2016) published in Optometry and Vision Science examined the effects of prescribing low plus lenses for near tasks in CI patients. It found that +0.50 lenses could relieve symptoms in the short term but may not be as effective in the long-term management of CI as other treatment methods, like vision therapy.
• Results: This research indicated that while +0.50 add lenses provided immediate relief, they were not always a long-term solution, suggesting they could be part of a broader treatment plan.
5. Joffe et al. (2019) - Effectiveness of Low Plus Lenses:
• Study: In a study published in Optometry and Vision Science, Joffe and colleagues reviewed a range of treatments for CI and found that a low +0.50 prescription could improve NPC and convergence ability in some patients, especially when coupled with symptom management strategies.
• Results: The study found moderate improvements in symptoms and convergence function with the prescription of a low plus addition for near tasks in cases of mild convergence insufficiency.

Mechanism of Action:

Low plus lenses at near reduce the accommodative demand, which can help alleviate the strain on the convergence system, particularly in patients where accommodation and convergence are coupled. By reducing the demand on accommodation, the system can better balance convergence, leading to improved comfort and function during near tasks.

Limitations:
• The effect of a +0.50 add is often more pronounced in mild cases of CI and may not be sufficient for moderate to severe cases.
• Some studies suggest that while symptomatic relief may be achieved, it may not address the underlying causes of CI or provide a long-term solution, which is why combined treatments like vision therapy are often recommended.