There’s No Such Thing as Too Young for Vision Problems

(Newswire.net — January 29, 2016) Mt. Kisco, New York — It might surprise you to learn that a little infant as young as 10 months old can benefit from vision therapy or glasses, but that was the discovery of Mom Jessica Sinclair and her husband Andrew Verdusco when they realized their baby daughter Piper needed glasses after a trip to the doctor.  They had taken her to a pediatrician to find out why she wasn’t yet crawling.

“What you can’t see is I was choking back tears of joy that she could see the world the way it was meant to be seen,” Sinclair said.  It turned out Piper was extremely far-sighted, and needed glasses.  But after receiving Piper’s custom-fit glasses, the family went out to celebrate, which is where they took this video. Piper struggles a little as the glasses are put on her, but she stops when she realizes their effect.  The little girl’s mouth falls open with a profound reaction as she examines the newly sharp image of her mother for the first time.  Her dad calls her name, causing Piper’s eyes to then snap brightly in his direction.

Piper continues to look back and forth between mom and dad, much to her parents’ delight.  The adorable video has been watched a staggering 18 million times on Facebook.  When she posted the video Sinclair said she hoped it would be a reminder for parents to get babies’ eyes checked, but she has been totally amazed by the response.  One month after the video was posted, Piper is now crawling and using her glasses nearly all the time, her mom said. 

“There is a whole new field of vision therapy now that is helping children gain, or regain, the needed visual skills to feel confident and enjoy reading and writing,” says Dr. Robert Byne, O.D. A pioneer in the field of Vision Therapy, his Vision Learning Center in Mt. Kisco, NY has worked with thousands of youngsters using a series of exercises designed to diagnose, treat, and manage a variety of vision challenges which present themselves in children and teens.

Piper’s parents’ reaction is not uncommon.  “These targeted exercises have made a tremendous difference for Katie,” says the mother of a 6-year old.  “When Katie first began Vision Therapy, she regularly experienced headaches when reading, and occasionally had migraines with tunnel vision, and she couldn’t catch or throw a ball.  Now her school work and reading are easier, and she can easily catch and accurately throw a ball and connect with a tennis racquet.”

Another mother reported, “My daughter Catherine struggled in school for years.  It wasn’t until she she wrote me a note about how she didn’t like to read out loud in school because the words moved around on the page, and it took her so long to put the words in their places, that I finally figured it out.  After all of these weeks of therapy her grades have improved, her self-confidence and self-esteem have been boosted, and knowing the answer to her difficulties has decreased her frustration in school and at home—I thank God for Dr. Byne.”

Says another Mom, “Vision therapy has been a very organizing experience for my son.  It has definitely helped him focus and become a better learner.  His hand/eye coordination and balance have improved as most importantly, vision therapy has taught him to become a better reader, above the age level in his class!”

Another area of concern addressed by Vision Therapy is children, teens and adults who have experienced concussions or mild Traumatic Brain Injury in school sports injuries or accidents, car accidents from a head injury or concussion.  According to Dr. Caitlin Eleftherion, O.D. of Vision Learning Center in Mt. Kisco, NY, and Mahopac, NY, “Symptoms such as headaches, reading problems, double vision, or light sensivity are common after a concussion, and in these cases vision rehabilitation can be an effective step in restoring normal vision perception.” Dr. Eleftherion specializes in the field of Developmental and Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation, and has received special training in therapies for amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (turned eye), and issues with depth perception.  

 

For a referral to a Vision Therapy Center in your area, contact the non-profit College of Optemtrists and Vision Development (www.covd.net) at 330-995-0718.

Dr. Robert Byne, FCOVD