Are Other Healthcare Professionals Able to Offer Vision Therapy?

Patients occasionally ask whether they can engage a different healthcare provider to conduct their vision therapy program. To address this common question, we will explain why Developmental Optometrists are specifically qualified to deliver Optometric Vision Therapy.

When comparing vision therapy provided by Developmental Optometrists to that by other healthcare providers, it's crucial to recognize two key differences: specialized training and access to essential tools.

First, let's address training of the visual system. Healthcare professionals outside the field of optometry might suggest certain vision exercises to slightly enhance eye muscle function, but they lack the capability to diagnose vision conditions. They cannot provide a personalized and comprehensive vision therapy program because of their limited training in the visual system.

On the other hand, our Developmental Optometrists have undergone extensive and ongoing training in every facet of the visual system and the connections between the eyes and the brain. This enables them to accurately diagnose and treat dysfunctions in visual skills. Examples of these skills include eye teaming, eye tracking, eye focusing, depth perception, visual processing, and visual-motor skills.

Due to their extensive training, Developmental Optometrists are authorized to prescribe specific tools for patients that are not available to non-optometric providers. Our doctors can prescribe the use of lenses, prisms, filters, occlusion, specialized vision equipment, visual exercises, and computer-based visual programs to enhance vision therapy treatments. Non-optometric healthcare professionals are limited by law from using such techniques and therefore cannot provide a comprehensive treatment program.

We often collaborate with other healthcare providers in caring for our patients and greatly appreciate this teamwork. Nonetheless, only a Developmental Optometrist is qualified to deliver Optometric Vision Therapy effectively and appropriately.