Behavioural Optometry
Put simply, behavioural optometry looks at how one’s visual skills can affect academic learning, sports and a range of visual behaviours. Without healthy sight and good visual skills – a child will not be able to perform to their full potential. This is where we can help.
What behavioural optometry testing involves.
A behavioural examination involves doing a number of tests in addition to those usually done in a standard examination. These include tests of near vision and perceptual tests that measure how well visual information is processed. Many of the visual skills we test are not skills that a child is born with but must be learned. Even if a child has 20/20 vision there’s no guarantee that all their visual skills have developed to age-expected levels.
What does treatment involve?
If a problem is found, treatment may involve glasses to support near vision; exercises to train visual skills or in some cases, tinted lenses. For younger children, we offer cost effective home-based therapy solutions that include training activities for which we train parents to use.
For older students, we offer computer or iPad based therapy called iCept. Our optometrist, Stuart Warren developed the iCept app. Through the app patients complete activities based on the extensive research of Professor Fischer from Freiburg University in Germany.