Hi Everyone!

I've missed you all and the support from this forum a lot!

I had some additional responsibilities given to me over the last little while, so I wasn't able to log in.

I've attended two sessions of Vision Therapy and I've been doing my exercises (as long as I am able to remember that I need to!) I've already noticed a significant improvement in the way that I see the world - my peripheral vision is working a lot better than it was and that's helping me to be able to drive safer and better and just to be in the world every moment! I don't even remember the last time I got dizzy (other than while I was in vision therapy, wearing silly lensed glasses) and I think I can thank vision therapy for that too.

I still notice that I'm making some distinct cognitive functioning type improvements too. Since I'm getting close to the two year anniversary of the accident I was in that caused this injury I'm still recovering from I am very grateful that I'm still noticing that I'm still getting better.

I highly recommend that if you haven't already been evaluated for Vision Therapy with a Vision Efficiency Examination (which is different than the average eye exam) that you do so ASAP.

Thank you for this update! I am about to begin vision therapy and am very optimistic that it will help.

From my initial visit, which included a battery of tests, I was diagnosed with Saccadic Eye Movement Disorder, Pursuit Eye Movement Disorder, and Convergence Insufficiency. (I also have Astigmatism and Myopia, both of which were diagnosed long before my injury.)

In addition, my visual memory is very poor. This was quite surprising, and definitely a result of the accident, since my visual memory has always been way above normal (prior to my accident). The experience was quite weird; I was shown a flash card with four images, allowed to look at it for about ten seconds, and then asked to draw the images afterward. This was repeated three more times. Looking at the images, I felt like I had them all solidly in my head. As soon as they took the card away, I just lost them; I ended up getting 8.5 out of 16, which is way below normal. This was so weird because I had never experienced something like that before.

Given all the problems I have had with eye strain and light sensitivity, it seems likely that my eye problems have been overtaxing my brain and preventing me from recovering properly. I don't necessarily expect vision therapy to "cure" me, but I am hopeful that it will enable me to start to improve more quickly.

EsthersDoll, you said that your balance has improved. Do you attribute this to the vision therapy? My balance problems are just not improving, despite the fact that I've been doing OT and PT exercises. It would be fantastic if I could get some benefit there from the vision therapy.

Pete

I do think the Vision Therapy has helped my balance because I'm supposed to do a "tracking" exercise that at first made me lose my balance and then as I got better at it, I am supposed to do the exercise with one foot in front of the other - it's surprising to see how much vision affects my balance! Before the accident I was in, I had very good balance - I was in yoga and could easily hold a position and stand on one foot for a prolonged period of time and at work I would crawl around in ceilings and on catwalks and truss in the air and since the accident just walking down the street has been difficult! My balance has gradually gotten better over the last couple of years until doing this vision therapy I have seen a much more rapid and thorough improvement of my balance in only a couple of weeks.

My vision memory was not tested - I was only given a one hour evaluation instead of a five hour evaluation. The Dr. I went for the evaluation told me she would suss out other stuff I needed during the treatment/therapy sessions. I think because the evaluations are an ongoing part of the therapy they wanted to save me some money by doing it this way, but I'm not sure.

have you tryed the prismatic glasses . i am in the same boat as you and the glasses really helped. i still drag my left leg alittle but it is improving .

Glad to hear vision therapy is helping you!

I'm almost one month into vision therapy and do not see an improvement in my symptoms(pretty much just headaches at this point) yet. But I'm still very hopeful and I've got two more months until I visit the therapist again for an update. I'm doing an in-home program for convergence insufficiency. Double Bullseye exercises(basically looking cross-eyed at two transparent cards with bulleyes on them, tromboning them about), brock string exercises, and software with various exercises(pursuits, saccadics, base in/out vergence, etc.). A link to the software, in case your interested: http://visiontherapysolutions.net/hts.php. I spend 10 minutes twice a day with the bullseye and brock string and 50 minutes once a day to perform all of the software exercises. It's a lot of work but my performance with the exercises has rapidly improved. The software gives you graph based reports on your progress which is nice. All of this is supposed to reduce my close distance viewing related headache trigger. Fingers crossed, we'll see(no pun intended)!

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10 months PCS from mTBI. Chronic daily headaches.

Hello,
I'm relatively new to this site (I've been browsing the forums but haven't posted until today) and I have some questions about vision therapy. I've been dealing with PCS for almost 3 years now and have had a lot of problems with my vision: blurred vision, palinopsia (visual trails), visual snow, flashing lights, and sometimes my eyes seem to vibrate and are unable to focus. Do these seem like symptoms that vision therapy could possibly help correct? If so, how do I find if there is a facility that has vision therapy in my area?

Thanks so much!

Laura

I used this link that Eowyn shared a little while back:

http://www.nora.cc/

I'm not sure what part of Minnesota you're from, but there are a lot of providers in the Twin Cities area; I'm seeing one in Woodbury.

I am in Rochester MN where Mayo Clinic is and still have trouble finding doctors who truly understand PCS even when they say they do

Esthersdoll, I am so glad to hear that you are doing better and that the therapy is helping!!!! Thank you for the update, and my wishes for continued healing!!!!!!!

Thank you!!

I was just commenting to myself yesterday about the benefits I've gained from going to vision therapy - I experienced a LOT of weird visual phenomena like the ones laurarrrgh mentioned and since I've started going they happen MUCH less - I can't say whether the vision therapy has helped reduce them or not at this point because I'm not an expert in the field.

And the dizziness I experienced multiple times a day seems to have subsided since I started going too!