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The only way to ensure that all the essential visual skills are working correctly is by having a Functional Vision Exam.
The Vision Therapy Center provides a professional eye and vision examination, one that includes a comprehensive assessment of visual information processing, binocular function and other visual skills.
In adults and children, a Functional Vision Exam is necessary whenever symptoms of vision problems are exhibited. To be proactive, the exam should be performed in the following increments:
Functional vision is how your entire visual system -- the eyes, the brain, the visual pathways -- work together to help you interact with your environment. Functional vision includes the following visual skill areas:
Occurs when the eyes align to focus on the same point on an object and work together in a coordinated and precise way. Good eye teaming allows efficient, single, comfortable vision and depth perception.
If the two eyes are not both aligned at the same point, the brain won’t be able to correctly combine the image from each eye. When this happens, a person will experience double vision and lose 3D depth perception. Poor eye teaming may also lead to eyestrain and fatigue.
This encompasses your ability to see an object clearly, and your ability to shift focus between objects at different distances.
For example, a person may have difficulty keeping reading material in focus and may experience intermittent or constant blur. Or a student may be able to see the text in a book clearly but have difficulty shifting focus from the book to the board and back.
This includes your eyes’ ability to maintain fixation on a moving object through space, move fixation from one object to another, or sustain fixation on a stationary object.
Following a fly ball into your glove and moving your eyes across this line of text both require accurate and efficient eye movements. Maintaining eye contact when listening is an example of sustaining fixation on a stationary object.
A large percentage of students don’t have vision problems, and conducting these tests on every child would be costly. Vision screenings are less costly, but limited in scope. Many of these screenings involve little more than reading letters on a distance eye chart, a test that cannot determine if a child has the visual skills necessary for effective reading and learning.
Not all optometrists have the advanced training or equipment required to perform a Functional Vision Exam, which is why many refer their patients to The Vision Therapy Center.
A Functional Vision Exam generally takes 60 – 90 minutes and includes a series of tests based on the patient’s individual needs. The doctor will first review the patient’s health and eye history, with emphasis on any visual problems and symptoms. This information is used to tailor the Functional Vision Exam, which includes tests on a wide range of visual skills.
These tests are for the typical learning-related vision problems. Different tests may be required for other types of patients (developmental delay, brain injury, sports vision).
The Functional Vision Exam includes:
In some cases, an additional Perceptual Test may be required. Prices and descriptions of vision tests are included below.
Pre-Test Assessment and Examination Assessment
This test takes 60-90 minutes. Our standard functional vision testing begins at $250. If there are complicating factors, such as the patient has strabismus, amblyopia or a head trauma, the test can range from $417 to $600. For brain injuries, two exams are often needed, and costs range from $300 to $800.
The Perceptual Testing Assessment is not always required, but the developmental optometrist may recommend it. It includes testing the following skills:
After completing the Functional Vision Exam and/or the Perceptual Testing Assessment, the doctor will review the results of the testing and create an individualized treatment plan. Both the results of the testing and the doctor’s recommended treatment plan will be presented to the patient and/or the patient’s legal guardian(s) at this 90-minute visit. The purpose of the Patient Education Visit is to provide ample time to discuss the testing results and treatment plan as well as answer any questions that you may have.
No. The Functional Vision Exam is conducted to determine if you or your child even has a vision problem. It’s not uncommon for us to find that only a change in a glasses prescription is needed. But the testing is critical to get to the root cause of a child’s learning issues.
If you child needs vision therapy treatment, please visit our Costs page to learn more.
This depends on the level of coverage provided in your health insurance policy. We are happy to provide you with a preauthorization letter that you can give to your insurance company to determine your level of coverage. In the event you don’t have coverage, we have a variety of payment plans that can fit any budget.
Fill out the form below to schedule a Functional Vision Exam.