Clinical Studies

The following is a compilation of clinical trials and studies:

Improvement in Academic Behaviors After Successful Treatment of Convergence Insufficiency

This six-item survey was designed to quantify the frequency of adverse school behaviors and parental concern about school performance. The survey was administered to 218 children, aged 9 to 17 years, prior to the start of vision therapy, and then after 12 weeks of treatment.The score was significantly better for children who were successful or improved after vision therapy as compared to children who were non-responders. The takeaway: Successful optometric vision therapy is associated with a reduction in frequency of adverse academic behavior and parental concern associated with reading and school work as reported by parents.

A Randomized Clinical Trial of Treatments for Convergence Insufficiency in Children

The National Eye Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, funded a study to determine the most effective treatment for Convergence Insufficiency. This was a double-blind, masked study with both optometrists and ophthalmologists collaborating together. It involved nine sites throughout the U.S., including prestigious clinics such as the Mayo Clinic, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, and the Ratner Children’s Eye Center.

The authors of this clinical trial found that vision therapy/orthoptics was more effective than pencil push-ups or placebo vision therapy/orthoptics in reducing symptoms and improving signs of convergence insufficiency in children 9 to 18 years of age.

The Scientific Basis for and Efficacy of Optometric Vision Therapy in Nonstrabismic Accommodative and Vergence Disorders

This article focuses on the scientific basis for Vision Therapy. It reviews studies that used objective recording techniques in order to assess the impact of vision therapy on the oculomotor system.

A Summary of Research and Clinical Studies on Vision and Learning

A listing of some of the research reports and clinical studies on the relationship of vision to reading and learning ability and the effectiveness of vision therapy in the treatment of learning-related vision problems.

Research and Clinical Studies on Vision, Learning and Optometric Vision Therapy

This paper presents over 350 abstracts from 77 different journals within the fields of education, optometry, opthalmology, neurology and psychology. It includes all works relating to vision and learning, including papers that purport there is no relationship between vision and learning – of which there are only 15.

Summary of Research on the Efficacy of Vision Therapy for Specific Visual Dysfunctions

This paper looks at studies on the largest areas of vision therapy treatment, which include accommodative and vergence anomalies. The results of several large sample retrospective studies provide compelling evidence of the effectiveness of vision therapy.