Vision therapy is a customisable and personalised treatment programme delivered by an eye specialist to strengthen visual skills. As a result, vision therapy looks different for every individual and can include a range of techniques to retrain and improve the visual system. Because vision therapy can encompass so many different techniques, it is a complicated subject. However, our consultants at The London Clinic Eye Centre are experts in this area. They can work with you to understand whether vision therapy could be right for you.
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What is it for?
To strengthen your visual skills by using personalised activities and treatment
What is vision therapy?
Vision therapy describes the process you and your ophthalmologist may undergo to improve or develop your visual skills and abilities, visual comfort, clarity of vision and visual processing. As all of these processes rely on the connection between your eyes and your brain, vision therapy aims to enhance the brain/eye interaction to treat visual difficulties and improve skills like reading, learning, concentration and hand-eye coordination. Vision therapy achieves this through a range of different eye exercises and treatments.
Thanks to neuroplasticity, vision therapy can be an appropriate treatment for adults, as the brain is able to adapt to new training throughout your life. This means that the act of repeating certain training techniques used in vision therapy is like learning to ride a bike; the more you practise, the better you will become.
What can vision therapy help to treat?
- Eye strain or fatigue – when your eyes get tired from intense use, such as when staring at a screen or computer.
- Convergence insufficiency – when the nerves that control your eye muscles don’t work together properly when you look at nearby objects, which can cause blurred or double vision.
- Amblyopia (lazy eye) – when there’s a breakdown in the brain/eye interaction which causes weak vision in one eye. Although, weak vision cannot usually be resolved in adults.
- Strabismus (squint) – when one eye points straight ahead and the other eye turns inwards or outwards or looks up or down.
- Double vision – a complication of strabismus, which can cause you to see two of one image.
- Eye teaming problems – when a breakdown in the brain/eye interaction means that your eyes don’t work together to allow you to focus and track objects.
- Focusing difficulties – when you struggle to focus your vision due to eye strain or difficulties with your eyesight including short-sightedness, long-sightedness, or astigmatism (blurred vision at all distances).
- Hand-eye coordination difficulties – when you struggle to use your hands and eyes simultaneously due to miscommunication within your visual system.
- Visual perception and processing issues – when you have difficulties processing visual information.
Vision therapy treatment options:
- Convergence or fusion exercises – for example, staring at the tip of a pin at a distance which is gradually brought closer to your eyes.
- Prism lenses – which can improve the way your eyes work together, helping you to see more clearly.
- Coloured filters – using yellow or blue filters to see if they can help with reading.
- Electronic targets – looking at and following targets with your eyes to strengthen the muscles in your eyes.
- Botox injections – injecting Botox into certain eye muscles can help to align your eyes.
- Squint surgery – a surgical procedure designed to correct and align the muscles of an eye affected by a squint.
- Dichoptics or virtual reality vision training – there is research into using devices to try to make the eyes work together to improve the vision in a lazy eye. While the effectiveness is limited in adults, technology is evolving in this area.
Is vision therapy right for you?
To find out whether vision therapy is suitable for you, our consultants will carry out a detailed eye examination supported by orthoptic testing. An orthoptist will assess your eye movements, how well your eyes work together, depth perception and focus, and check for any signs of eye strain.
Your assessment may include tools such as a Hess chart (to measure muscle over- or under-activity), a synoptophore (to assess squint angles), prism adaptation tests, and motor fusion tests to examine eye alignment.
Your results will then be reviewed with a consultant, who will create a personalised management plan.
We treat adults at The London Clinic Eye Centre, but our consultants can arrange children’s appointments at specialist paediatric clinics—contact us to discuss how we can help your child.
Our experts
We offer Fixed Price Packages
Where possible, we’ll provide a fixed-price package for your hospital care. This covers your hospital stay, nursing, and use of our facilities, giving you a clear guide to what those costs will be.
- Pre-op assessment
- Hospital stay, nursing care and meals
- Tests, scans and physio during your stay
- Take-home medication (up to 5 days)
- Post-op follow-up appointments
- Standard equipment or prosthesis (if needed)
- Unplanned extended stay or ITU (if clinically required)
- Initial consultation and any tests done during it
- Consultant and anaesthetist fees (quoted separately)
- Physio or therapy before or after your stay
- Diagnostics before admission (unless agreed in your plan)
- Specialist medication beyond 5 days
- Ambulance transport or bespoke prosthetics
Your consultant’s fees are quoted separately and shared directly by their office after your consultation. These professional fees cover the time, expertise, and care provided by your consultant before, during, and after your treatment. See our full terms and conditions
Why choose The London Clinic Eye Centre?
The London Clinic Eye Centre provides the highest standards of eye care. Our team of expert ophthalmologists work in partnership with world leaders and experts from all aspects of medicine, combining state-of-the-art diagnostics with cutting-edge therapies to deliver a best-in-class service to a global audience.
Unparalleled eye expertise
Our ophthalmologists bring global experience across the full range of eye conditions, supported by advanced imaging and The London Clinic’s world-class facilities.
With you at every step
From your first appointment to follow-up, our clinicians, nurses and support teams provide coordinated, bespoke care so you always feel confident and supported.
Personal care, every time
We tailor your care around your individual needs, staying with you throughout your journey and ensuring you feel listened to and supported.
Speak to our team
Whether you’re seeking a diagnosis, treatment or a specialist opinion, our Eye Centre team is here to help. Find out more about how we can support your eye health.
0% Finance Options
We’ve teamed up with Chrysalis to offer you funding options that allow you to spread the cost of your treatment.
If you choose to pay for your treatment at The London Clinic over 12 months, you can make use of a great 0% interest option and pay nothing extra. Or you can choose to pay over two to five years at 14.9% APR.
Trustees of the London Clinic Ltd trading as The London Clinic is an Appointed Representative of Chrysalis Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The London Clinic is a credit broker, not a lender. The provider of a payment scheme which is not offered through or by Chrysalis Finance Limited may not be so authorised and regulated. Cancer treatments or transplants aren’t covered by finance packages. Finance options are only available for UK patients.