Dr. Hollis Stavn 2200 Range Avenue Suite 109 Santa Rosa CA 95403 (707) 527-9137
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Vision Therapy & Reading
What is Vision
Therapy?
Vision Therapy is a program of activities and exercises taught in every Optometry School and used by specially trained Optometrists that has been shown to be effective in improving reading difficulties and certain other vision conditions. While often used in a multidisciplinary approach in conjunction with educational therapies, Vision Therapy is often more effective than special education, tutoring, and speech and language therapy, and often succeeds where other treatments have had limited success. The office of Dr. Hollis Stavn in Santa Rosa, Ca offers assessment and a therapy program for children and adults with reading difficulties. The assessment of reading difficulties begins with a visual and perceptual skills evaluation.The Assessment of Visual and Perceptual Skills Includes:
- A dilated eye exam.
- A Binocular Vision Evaluation.
- Focusing Facility testing.
- Visual Perception tests.
- Reading tests.
- A comprehensive learning history.
- Visual tracking tests.
- Additional tests as indicated.
Unless these tests are done your doctor will not be able to determine the cause of a reading difficulty. Only optometrists with special training are qualified to diagnose and prescribe therapy for reading difficulties. Despite their medical education, ophthalmologists do not receive training in reading difficulties. A standard eye exam by an optometrist or ophthalmologist may tell you if glasses are needed and if your eyes are healthy but additional testing by a specialist is needed to determine a cause for reading disability.
Vision Therapy Program
After a thorough evaluation an individual program of visual therapy is designed to deal with the source of the reading difficulty. In most cases a fifteen week intensive program of combined in office and at home activities is prescribed. The average child improves one and one half years in reading skills in this 3-4 month period. Some optometrists will prefer to limit vision therapy to in office activities over a longer time period.We also offer computerized vision therapy programs.
Parents Speak about Vision Therapy.
- "We have gone one year since therapy with our son and he has
gone from D's and F's last year to A's and B's one year later. Everyday
there is improvement. What can I say? Thanks a million!!!"
- "Visual training attacks the problem of learning disabilities. Often the schools only treat the symptoms."
- "I really think Bobby would have been one of the children just
passed through the school system learning nothing if it had not been for
vision therapy. It's too bad it was never brought up by other eye doctors,
the child's doctor, Special Ed teachers, or the school nurse or psychologist.
None of the people we saw knew much if anything about vision therapy."
Every child with a reading disability should have an eye exam by an optometrist. If you interested in more information, you may continue reading or click on the links below. If you would like more information or an appointment in Santa Rosa or a referral in your local area you can call our office at 707-527-9137 or you can send us e-mail.
Send E-mail to Dr. Stavn
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