Eyesight vs. Vision: How Vision Therapy Makes All the Difference
When it comes to eye health, terms like "eyesight" and "vision" are often used interchangeably. However, these terms represent two distinct aspects of your child’s visual health.
As a parent, understanding the differences between eyesight and vision is essential for ensuring your child receives the comprehensive care they need.
At A B See Optometry and Vision Therapy in Kelowna, we focus on more than just your child’s ability to see clearly. Our approach is to treat both eyesight and vision, ensuring that your child not only sees clearly but also performs at their best.
What is Eyesight?
Eyesight refers to the clarity or sharpness of vision. In other words: how well your child can see objects at various distances. This is measured during a standard kids eye exam using a vision chart. The process, known as a refraction, determines whether your child needs corrective lenses like glasses to improve their eyesight. See why a cycloplegic refraction is the gold standard for checking glasses prescription in children here.
Although eyesight is an essential part of your child’s visual experience, it’s just one piece of the puzzle. A refraction only tells us how well your child can see, but it leaves out important details of how their entire visual system is functioning and how their eyes may be working together as a team.
What is Vision?
In contrast, vision encompasses much more than just eyesight. It refers to how a child’s brain interprets the information it receives from their eyes. It involves complex processes such as eye coordination, focusing ability, depth perception, and tracking moving objects.
A child can have 20/20 vision and still struggle with vision problems like binocular vision dysfunction, which can affect learning, reading, sports performance, and even everyday tasks.
Pediatric Eye Exams: Our Comprehensive Approach
At , we take a comprehensive approach to assessing and treating vision problems. Beyond correcting poor eyesight caused by various eye conditions, we delve deeper into how your child's entire visual system works. We do this through a visual skills assessment, see more here.
Our approach includes thorough evaluations to identify any issues that might be impacting your child’s daily life, such as:
- Binocular Vision Disorder (BVD): This is a broad term for what happens when the eyes don't work well together. Crossed eyes (strabismus) and lazy eyes (amblyopia) are just two examples of BVD that can negatively impact reading, focusing on schoolwork, and participating in sports.
- Convergence insufficiency (CI) is a type of BVD where the eyes have difficulty working together when focusing on close objects.
- Difficulty with Eye Coordination and Tracking: We evaluate the ability to smoothly track moving objects and switch focus between different distances. This skill is needed to properly read.
- Reduced Depth Perception: Our exams include tests to ensure that your child can accurately judge depth. This has a direct impact on reaching and grasping, balance, and coordination.
- Inaccurate Focusing Ability: We check how well your child can focus on objects at various distances and maintain that focus over time. Difficulty with this can cause a lag in vision or fluctuating blurry vision.
- Visual Processing: We look at how your child’s brain interprets visual information. Types of visual information processing include visual closure, form constancy, visual memory, and visual sequential memory.
The Importance of Vision Therapy
Our vision therapy is designed to improve the brain’s ability to control eye movements, process visual information, and coordinate eye function. It addresses underlying vision issues that can’t be corrected with glasses or contact lenses alone.
Vision therapy involves targeted exercises and activities to help your child develop stronger visual skills. Through consistent practice and guidance from our vision therapist, your little one can experience relief from eye strain, headaches, and difficulties with concentration and reading.
This means a better ability to engage in schoolwork, sports, and other activities without the frustration of visual barriers.
Book an Appointment for Vision Therapy Near You
At A B See Optometry and Vision Therapy in Kelowna, we are committed to providing pediatric eye care that addresses both eyesight and vision. Book an appointment for a visual skills assessment to see if vision therapy can help.