Vision Therapy

Clear and Comfortable Vision

Having great vision doesn't only mean being able to see "20/20" or being able to read the smallest letters. It also means having usable and comfortable vision in our daily activities. Here at Ossining Family Optometry, Dr. Rodrigues is specially trained to identify, treat and manage various functional eye conditions such as amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (eye turn), convergence insufficiency, tracking disorders and general eye fatigue.

Dr. Rodrigues is specially trained to provide vision therapy and rehabilitation services to patients that are experiencing eye symptoms related to their daily activities, or wish to improve their impact on the athletic field. Take a moment to review our visual symptoms checklist. If you find that you are having one or more of these symptoms, schedule an exam to ensure that your vision is not affecting your lifestyle.

A healthy and robust visual system is important in academic learning and performance, work performance, and good quality of life. Unfortunately many people tend to dismiss these symptoms as unimportant or temporary, which could have impact across many areas in your life.

With the introduction of smartphones and tablets, people today are using computers and computerized devices on a near constant basis. From finance to clerical work to the classroom, electronic devices are as prevalent as people themselves. That is why it's important to ensure no negative effects are occurring from the use of these devices and that your visual system is strong enough to meet the ever increasing demands of today's world.

Adolescent Visual Symptoms

falling asleep when reading
avoiding reading
decreased academic performance
prefers being read to
skipping lines when reading
headaches

Common Disorders Affecting Vision

ADD/ADHD
Dyslexia
Sensory Integration Disorder
Aspergers/Autism Spectrum Disorder
General Learning Disability

Adult Visual Symptoms

headaches
blurry vision
double vision
eye "pressure"
difficulty staying awake
problem focusing

Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury

Experiencing a concussion or a traumatic brain injury is a frightening experience for patients, their families and friends. Over 2 million people experience a traumatic brain injury every year in the United States. Effects can last days or weeks, but unfortunately some people experience these effects for many years. Traumatic brain injuries and concussions can lead to impaired mental capabilities, movement, vision, sensation, behavior and personality changes,

Visual changes with Concussions

More than 50% of the human brain is involved with visual information. This includes central and peripheral vision, visual memory and processing. When a concussion occurs, a large amount of stress is placed on the human brain, leading to many of the symptoms we see in concussion patients. However, modern MRI and CT scans are typically unable to pick up this damage. Even after a patient has been cleared by their neurologist, symptoms may persist without the patient being fully aware of their origins.

Up to 40% of concussion patients have reported an inability to focus when reading, blurry vision at distance or near, sensitivity to light, difficulty navigating busy areas (malls, airports), or inability to watch sports or fast paced entertainment. All these symptoms occur due to an insufficient visual system that can see clearly and process large amounts of information within seconds.

A visual processing examination will be able to provide important information on clarity of vision, processing speed and visual discrimination. During his time at the University Eye Center in Manhattan, NY, Dr. Rodrigues worked with many athletes, students and adults who have experienced concussions or traumatic brain injuries to improve their visual functioning and get them reading, working and enjoying life faster.

Sports Vision

Examples of a sports vision deficiency include

inability to correctly follow plays
poor passing or catching
worsening performance with fatigue
blurry or cloudy vision
poor eye-hand coordination
slowed reaction time

Superior Vision for Superior Athletes

Athletes require the highest form of skill, on and off the field, in order to excel at their sport. An athlete's vision is what allows them to perform, especially under pressure. Eye-hand coordination, mental planning and field of vision are all essential to the aspiring super-star and deficiencies or even "normal" levels or operation can prevent an athlete from reaching their potential.

Sports vision is a combination of visual skills including eye-teaming, eye-tracking, eye-focusing, visual perception and eye-hand coordination that allows an athlete to acquire, process and react to visual information on the athletic field.

Specially designed testing and therapy procedures have been developed to ensure that athletes are performing at the highest possible level. Through the use of specialized lenses, prisms, polarized and anti-suppression techniques, multitasking, reaction speed and peripheral vision training, athletes are taught to use their vision at the highest level in order to use their natural athletic talent to their fullest.