We perform several types of diagnostic examinations in the Vision Therapy and Rehabilitation Service. The following descriptions will help you understand more about the type of exam your doctor has recommended.

Sensorimotor Exam
Basic Vision Skills

This group of tests will help us determine how clearly you are seeing, how well your eyes focus, how well your eye muscles work together and your depth perception. This type of exam is recommended when you suffer from eye discomfort, reading and/or learning problems that may be linked to your vision. Many people are surprised to learn that problems with vision can affect so many different activities of daily living. This can be particularly troublesome for children in school, adults whose job requires a significant amount of near work and athletes whose good performance depends upon the quality of their vision.

Visual Perceptual/Developmental Exam
How Eyes Work to Understand What They See

This group of tests is designed to provide us with detailed information about the way your eyes are developing or have developed and how you gather and process visual information. We will check your ability to understand, store and manipulate material presented to you through your visual system alone and in conjunction with other senses (i.e. speech, hearing, touch). We will measure your recognition of symbols and letters, ability to draw, write and manipulate printed material. This type of exam is typically recommended when you are not doing well in school or are experiencing vision difficulty following a problem like a stroke or other accident. At least 70% of all we learn or experience comes to us through our visual system, so problems with perception can be very disabling.

Strabismus and Amblyopia Exam
Understanding Eyes that Fail to Work Together

This exam is designed to specifically address the needs of patients with eye turns and “lazy eye”. This group of tests, like the sensorimotor exam (basic vision skills), checks for how clearly you are seeing, how well your eyes focus and work together as well as your depth perception, but we will also find out the reason for eye turns and vision loss. Amblyopia, or “lazy eye” as it is often called, is one of the leading causes of preventable vision loss in the U.S. Early detection and aggressive treatment can restore vision and positively affect activities of daily living for a lifetime!