Telebuddy
02-22-08, 10:26 PM
Hey all,
I was a vision therapist for over 20 years, and worked closely providing vision therapy to children and adults with vision disorders. I thought perhaps some could benefit from a few comments:
Remember that symptoms of a vision problem can sometimes mimic certain aspects of ADD/ADHD and/or dyslexia....
Given that.................
1. Vision therapy is a specific treatment to treat medically diagnosed vision disorders like accommodative (focusing) dysfunction, oculomotor dysfunction, and binocular vision dysfunction. It IS NOT A TREATMENT FOR ADD/ADHD or reading disorders, though sometimes it is presented this way.
2. I have worked with, and run across several optometrists who provide this service that thought ADD/ADHD was a bunk diagnosis, and too many people are medicated for this non-existent disorder.
Actually, ADD/ADHD is a real diagnosis, it is well-researched, and a lot of research shows that it is under-diagnosed! I've actually run across vision therapists and doctors suggesting the adult/child doesn't/won't need their medication now/once that their vision disorder is fixed and suggest that the patient stop taking their medication without consulting the primary care physician first.
This borders on medical malpractice! In these instances, I refused to give out this kind of advice--to the consternation of some--rather in certain cases, I would refer them back to the prescribing/diagnosing physician with an extensive report. Then it's up to the physician and the family, but it's never up to the optometrist or vision therapist to suggest to a patient that they stop taking their medications!
3. Have I treated patients with a vision disorder who I felt had been misdiagnosed with ADD/ADHD?
Yes, once I treated their vision problems, the symptoms related to the original diagnosis of ADD/ADHD disappeared. It was a vision problem, not ADD/ADHD in these cases! This was maybe 3 cases out of the 100's I had treated...pretty rare in my opinion, but it does happen.
4. Have I treated patients with a vision disorder who also had ADD/ADHD?
Yes, and in these cases the patients ability to pay attention to near point work, sports, and other activities that "heavily" involved vision improved, but it didn't eliminate their ADD/ADHD. The vision problem was addressed. Improvements in attention were secondary to improvements in visual abilities. They still had ADD/ADHD, and still should be treated for it.
5. Did I see a higher incidence of vision problems in my patients diagnosed with ADD/ADHD? Yes. As in a lot of "populations," i.e. developmental disabilities, acquired brain disorders, etc., research has clearly shown a higher incidence of vision problems.
6. Do vision problems effect one's ability to pay attention? Absolutely!
7. Can vision problems be treated? Yes, with a high degree of efficacy!
Okay, given that, here's how developmental optometry and vision therapy relate to individuals (especially children) with ADD/ADHD....
Make sure to get your vision checked by an optometrist specializing in developmental or functional optometry. If there is a vision problem, treat it. Avoid any of these folks that automatically discount ADD/ADHD as a "bunk" diagnosis...funny, as a lot of people think that developmental optometrists can offer up their own "bunk." Make sure to work with one who sees the whole picture--no pun intended.
Considering that individuals with ADD/ADHD may be more likely to have vision problems, and that these types of problems can be treated with a high degree of success, it pays to ensure that we and our children have our eye's checked regularly...it's one more thing that we can make sure is working to give us all the advantages we need.
Thanks for reading my post...I've tried to be as open and honest as I can. If just one child has their eye's examined because of this post, well, then I'm happy. I've seen some very positive results, and remember folks, it's like peeling an onion...one layer at a time.
Respectfully,
telebuddy
I was a vision therapist for over 20 years, and worked closely providing vision therapy to children and adults with vision disorders. I thought perhaps some could benefit from a few comments:
Remember that symptoms of a vision problem can sometimes mimic certain aspects of ADD/ADHD and/or dyslexia....
Given that.................
1. Vision therapy is a specific treatment to treat medically diagnosed vision disorders like accommodative (focusing) dysfunction, oculomotor dysfunction, and binocular vision dysfunction. It IS NOT A TREATMENT FOR ADD/ADHD or reading disorders, though sometimes it is presented this way.
2. I have worked with, and run across several optometrists who provide this service that thought ADD/ADHD was a bunk diagnosis, and too many people are medicated for this non-existent disorder.
Actually, ADD/ADHD is a real diagnosis, it is well-researched, and a lot of research shows that it is under-diagnosed! I've actually run across vision therapists and doctors suggesting the adult/child doesn't/won't need their medication now/once that their vision disorder is fixed and suggest that the patient stop taking their medication without consulting the primary care physician first.
This borders on medical malpractice! In these instances, I refused to give out this kind of advice--to the consternation of some--rather in certain cases, I would refer them back to the prescribing/diagnosing physician with an extensive report. Then it's up to the physician and the family, but it's never up to the optometrist or vision therapist to suggest to a patient that they stop taking their medications!
3. Have I treated patients with a vision disorder who I felt had been misdiagnosed with ADD/ADHD?
Yes, once I treated their vision problems, the symptoms related to the original diagnosis of ADD/ADHD disappeared. It was a vision problem, not ADD/ADHD in these cases! This was maybe 3 cases out of the 100's I had treated...pretty rare in my opinion, but it does happen.
4. Have I treated patients with a vision disorder who also had ADD/ADHD?
Yes, and in these cases the patients ability to pay attention to near point work, sports, and other activities that "heavily" involved vision improved, but it didn't eliminate their ADD/ADHD. The vision problem was addressed. Improvements in attention were secondary to improvements in visual abilities. They still had ADD/ADHD, and still should be treated for it.
5. Did I see a higher incidence of vision problems in my patients diagnosed with ADD/ADHD? Yes. As in a lot of "populations," i.e. developmental disabilities, acquired brain disorders, etc., research has clearly shown a higher incidence of vision problems.
6. Do vision problems effect one's ability to pay attention? Absolutely!
7. Can vision problems be treated? Yes, with a high degree of efficacy!
Okay, given that, here's how developmental optometry and vision therapy relate to individuals (especially children) with ADD/ADHD....
Make sure to get your vision checked by an optometrist specializing in developmental or functional optometry. If there is a vision problem, treat it. Avoid any of these folks that automatically discount ADD/ADHD as a "bunk" diagnosis...funny, as a lot of people think that developmental optometrists can offer up their own "bunk." Make sure to work with one who sees the whole picture--no pun intended.
Considering that individuals with ADD/ADHD may be more likely to have vision problems, and that these types of problems can be treated with a high degree of success, it pays to ensure that we and our children have our eye's checked regularly...it's one more thing that we can make sure is working to give us all the advantages we need.
Thanks for reading my post...I've tried to be as open and honest as I can. If just one child has their eye's examined because of this post, well, then I'm happy. I've seen some very positive results, and remember folks, it's like peeling an onion...one layer at a time.
Respectfully,
telebuddy