Free Functional Screening
We will begin by screening your child for the most common functional visual skill deficits. Though this can’t replace a comprehensive vision or eye exam, it can show is whether your child would benefit more from a traditional eye exam or a VIP (visual information processing) exam.
To help set your child up for success, we suggest all children undergo a free screening before potential issues can develop. This screening looks at how your child’s eyes track, fuse, and focus and evaluates their visual-motor skills to help provide us with the information we need to make an accurate diagnosis.
Comprehensive Examination
If your child requires a comprehensive eye exam, we will schedule one for you. The purpose of an exam is to evaluate your child’s visual health and eyesight in a child-friendly environment. To better view the ocular structures inside your child’s eye, their eyes will need to be dilated for this exam.
During the exam, we will determine your child’s prescription and suggest either glasses or contact lenses if necessary. These exams are performed one-on-one with Dr. Megan Lott.
To help safeguard your child’s vision, we suggest every child have their eyes examined at least once per year.
VIP (Visual Information Processing) Exam
This exam goes beyond the routine tests of an annual comprehensive eye exam and includes a thorough evaluation of the visual system, including functional and visual perceptual and processing skills.
We strongly suggest that any child currently struggling academically, athletically, or socially undergo a VIP exam. Once the exam is complete, you and your child will sit down for a consult with Dr. Megan Lott, who will also provide you with a comprehensive written report of her findings.
Please visit the VIP Exam section at the bottom of this page to learn more about our VIP exams.
What Is a VIP (Visual Information Processing) Exam?
If your child is having trouble reading or learning, they may benefit from a VIP exam. Our experienced optometrists will thoroughly examine your child’s visual system. Unlike a standard comprehensive eye exam, a VIP exam is designed to evaluate your child’s function visual skills as well as their visual information processing and visual perception skills.
This exam aims to evaluate your child’s ability to meet their academic, career, athletic, and daily life visual demands. 80% of classroom-based learning is visual, so having vision that is up to the task is critical for success. When a child’s vision is compromised, it can hinder their ability to reach their full potential.
Our VIP Exams test:
Functional Skills
- Spatial orientation. Spatial orientation refers to our ability to orientate our bodies and regulate our posture in relation to the surrounding environment. This is the foundation of all other visual skills.
- Ocular motor skills (also called tracking). As the name suggests, ocular motor skills refer to how well the eye moves. Smooth, easy movement is crucial for skills like reading.
- Binocularity (also called fusing). Binocularity refers to the alignment and coordination of the eyes and determines how well they work together as a team. Good binocular vision is vital for depth perception.
- Accommodation (also called focusing): How well our eyes can focus is vital for viewing both near and far objects clearly and smoothly shifting our focus between objects close by and far away.
Visual Perception Testing
- Reversals: This refers to the ability to determine if a letter or number has been reversed.
- Visual Memory: This refers to the ability to remember previous images that have been presented to you.
- Visual Memory with Output: This refers to the ability to both remember images that have been presented to you and draw or otherwise duplicate that image.
- Sequential Visual Memory: this refers to the ability to remember a sequence of visual graphics and recount that sequence accurately.
- Visual Closure: This refers to the ability to see the large picture with minimal details.
- Figure-Ground: This refers to the ability to see small details within a busy or cluttered background. A good example of this would be the Where’s Waldo books.
- Spatial Relationships: This refers to the ability to see differences in forms regardless of orientation.
- Form Constancy: This refers to the ability to see similarities in forms regardless of size or orientation.
- Auditory-Visual: This refers to the ability to match a pattern of sounds to a visual stimulus.
- Visual Motor: This is the ability to interpret visual information and duplicate it in written form. This tests how well your vision and hands work together as a team.
Reading Test
Depending on how old your child is, their VIP exam may include a reading assessment. We use computerized reading assessments to:
- Assess eye movements
- Determine how quickly your child recognizes words
- Determine how quickly your child can read
- Assess reading comprehension
- Evaluate how well your child’s eyes remain aligned while reading.
Peripheral Vision
This test is designed to assess your child’s functional peripheral vision and determine how well their peripheral vision responds in stressful situations.
Get Your Child the Care They Need
Getting your child the high-quality eye care they need begins with an accurate evaluation. To identify the root cause of your child’s visual issues, we use a variety of evaluations tailored to meet their unique needs.
Treatment & Management Strategies
We offer a wide variety of treatment and management strategies tailored to meet your child’s unique needs.
Pediatric Eye Care
Our approach to pediatric eye care includes both traditional eye exams and functional optometry. During your child’s appointment, we will evaluate the health of their ocular structures, determine their prescription, assess their functional visual skills, and test their visual perception skills.
If your child requires glasses or contact lenses, we will prescribe them as necessary.
Vision Therapy
Depending on the root cause of your child’s visual problems, we may suggest vision therapy. Vision therapy works like physiotherapy for your eyes, using a personalized treatment plan to address functional visual disorders. Vision therapy uses a variety of exercises and activities to provide biofeedback on the visual system.
What Visual Disorders Can Vision Therapy Treat?
Vision therapy can be used to treat a variety of disorders, including:
- Vision-related learning disorders
- Strabismus (crossed eyes)
- Amblyopia (lazy eye)
Our state-of-the-art facility is home to a dedicated therapist who works with our functional optometrists to create and facilitate a tailored treatment plan for your child.
Brain Injury Rehabilitation
The effects of brain injuries can be far-reaching and impact your child’s ability to process visual information effectively. To begin, one of our experienced functional optometrists will evaluate your child and craft a tailored treatment plan. Our evaluation is conducted using special neurodevelopment lenses which are used to evaluate your child’s balance and visual functions.
We also use advanced testing techniques to evaluate your child’s eye movements and assess how well their brain and their eyes are working together as a team.
Visit Our Convenient Location
Hattiesburg
Located in the Bellevue Corner Market Shopping Center.
Address
7117 Highway 98, Suite 30Hattiesburg, MS 39402
Jackson Satellite Location
Located in the Highland Village Shopping Center.
Address
4500 l-55 N Suite 245Jackson, MS 39211
Hattiesburg Hours
Monday
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Friday
Closed
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed
Hattiesburg
Located in the Bellevue Corner Market Shopping Center.
Address
7117 Highway 98, Suite 30Hattiesburg, MS 39402
Hattiesburg Hours
Monday
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Friday
Closed
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed
Jackson Satellite Location
Located in the Highland Village Shopping Center.
Address
4500 l-55 N Suite 245Jackson, MS 39211
What Our Parents are Saying
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