Vision Therapy Not Just for Kids
Stacey thought that her visual symptoms were due to aging. She discovered she had convergence insufficiency and it could be helped with vision therapy.
My son, Alex, was experiencing headaches, double vision and poor attention in school. I brought him in for an exam with Dr Gallaway where he diagnosed Alex with convergence excess. Alex started weekly vision therapy sessions and before long his headaches disappeared, he was reading longer and more smoothly, and his attention span had increased.
When Dr. Gallaway asked me to fill out the information packet for Alex’s initial exam, I realized that I was experiencing many of the same symptoms as Alex. All of these symptoms had been occurring for a long period of time. Some of them were:
- Headaches during reading
- Falling asleep during reading
- Letters jumping off the page while reading
- Inattention to prolonged reading
- Losing my place within the page
It was very frustrating. For a long time, I just thought it was the aging process, however, since my son was getting evaluated, I decided to have an evaluation completed for myself also. I figured that I’m only 42, so why not?
After completing an evaluation, Dr. Gallaway diagnosed me with a condition called Convergence Insufficiency, a condition in which my eyes cannot come together in order to perform tasks that are close in range. Dr. Gallaway gave me some homework to perform at home and asked me to come in for vision therapy every 3 to 4 weeks for an update.
In approximately 3 months, my symptoms had diminished and I found that I was able to enjoy prolonged reading:
- Without any word jumping
- Without falling asleep
- Am able to follow the story without over focusing
It was an incredible feeling because I enjoy reading but it has always been so hard because of the eye pain and strain along with the other symptoms. I was very grateful.
In addition to being able to read more efficiently, the VT has helped me in other ways also. For as long as I can remember, it was so hard for me to focus in order to complete projects. I would work on a project halfway then set it aside. I thought I was just lazy and that’s the way it was. After completing VT, I found that I have more of a focus to complete household tasks and involved projects on time and done the right way.
“I have a focus that I haven’t had in a very long time and I am very grateful.”
As for my job, I have daily paperwork that requires on-time completion. Before vision therapy, I would get frustrated because I could not focus. I would get very tired and I would set my paperwork aside because I physically and mentally could not finish it. At one point, my boss told me that I had to be more attentive to my paperwork or I could lose my job. Now, paperwork is not a problem. I don’t get tired or frustrated. I have a focus that I haven’t had in a very long time and I am very grateful.
In conclusion, vision therapy has made such a positive change in my life. My life runs more smoothly. Household projects are completed. My job is heading in a positive direction now. I enjoy reading books by my favorite author again.
I want adults to know that vision therapy can change your child’s life, but it can also change yours. If you think that something is “off” but you don’t know why, don’t hesitate to look into it. If you find yourself having the same symptoms as your child, pursue it. I did and I am the better for it. I would recommend vision therapy for everyone regardless of age. Thank you Dr. Gallaway for everything that you have done for my son and me.