How Vision Therapy Can Help Your Child
Undiagnosed vision issues are prevalent in children. Up to 60% of kids who struggle in school may actually have an untreated problem with their vision.
In a comprehensive functional eye exam at Belle Vue Specialty Eye Care, we will thoroughly assess your child’s visual skills and identify if vision problems might be getting in their way. After their exam, we can advise on whether glasses or vision therapy might be the right choice.
Vision therapy is like physical therapy for the eyes and the brain. It’s a customized set of activities and exercises that aim to strengthen the connection between the eyes and brain to resolve symptoms that interfere with visual abilities, motor skills, and brain function.
We know that struggles in school, behavior changes, and lack of motivation can all be frustrating for your family. We’d love to support you to find solutions that make sense for you and your child.
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How Do I Know if My Child Needs Vision Therapy?
Vision problems don’t always look like what parents expect. You might notice gradual or sudden shifts in your child’s behavior that could be related to challenges processing visual information. These signs can include:
- Less interest in activities they once enjoyed
- Physical delays
- Lacking focus and motivation in school
- Trouble with homework or bad grades
- Sudden changes within their peer group
Unfortunately, these signs can sometimes lead to a misdiagnosis. One study found children with vision problems are 3 times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD.
Before assuming your child has a learning disability, dyslexia, or an anxiety disorder, bring them to us to have their vision checked.
Take Our Quick Vision Therapy Questionnaire
Developed by our team of specialists, our online questionnaire can help determine if your child could benefit from vision therapy. Take our test now, then contact our office to discuss the results.
What Exactly Is Vision Therapy?
Vision therapy is a personalized program designed to help improve how a person’s eyes and brain work together. Think of it as exercises and activities specifically created to strengthen vision-related skills, much like physical therapy for the visual system.
At Belle Vue Specialty Eye Care, we often recommend vision therapy for children who face challenges with reading, learning, or focusing in the classroom.
Vision therapy can help with eye-hand coordination, tracking while reading, and even certain conditions like nearsightedness or lazy eye. By tailoring a plan to each child’s needs, our goal is to make their vision more effective and their day-to-day activities more enjoyable.
Vision therapy is drug-free and nonsurgical. Typically, it includes a mix of exercises done in our office and some to do at home.
Common Signs That Vision Therapy May Help
The following signs can be indicators of the need for vision therapy:
- Strabismus (crossed eyes) or Amblyopia (lazy eye)
- Lack of focus/short attention span
- Poor handwriting
- Trouble reading
- Behavioral issues/acting out
- Lack of eye-hand coordination
- Loss of interest in school and once-loved activities
- Double vision, lazy eye, trouble with eye alignment
If your child is experiencing one or more of the above symptoms, we invite you to book an eye exam with us.
What We Test in Your Child’s Eye Exam
When your child comes in for a functional vision evaluation at Belle Vue Specialty Eye Care, we go beyond checking for 20/20 vision.
Our optometrist looks at how their eyes work together, process information, and support daily activities like reading, playing sports, and staying focused. These evaluations help us uncover challenges that might not show up on a standard eye test, allowing us to create a plan to help your child thrive. Here’s some of what we assess when determining if your child might benefit from vision therapy.
Orientation
Orientation refers to how your child’s visual system organizes and understands space. If their brain struggles to process spatial information, they might seem to be clumsy, knock things over, or have trouble with tasks like writing in a straight line.
Binocular Vision
To see clearly without double vision, the eyes must work together as a team. This means the eyes must point to the same place at the same time and maintain this fusion.
If this isn’t done effectively, symptoms for your child may include double vision, words “swimming” on the page, or words running together when reading. The signs you or your child’s teacher might notice include their head tilting when they’re reading, closing one eye when reading, and difficulty copying from the whiteboard.
Accommodation
To see clearly up close, the eyes need to focus quickly and adjust seamlessly. Challenges in this area might cause headaches with homework or make it hard for your child to maintain attention during close-up tasks.
Ocular Motility
Clear, efficient reading requires smooth and coordinated eye movements. If your child struggles with skipping lines, omitting small words, losing their place, or reading slowly, we look at how their eyes track and move across the page.
There are two distinct types of eye movements that are needed when reading:
- Saccades: Quick movements (think word to word, line to line)
- Pursuits: Smooth movements (think tracking across a page smoothly).
Visual Perception
Visual perception is how the brain interprets what the eyes see.
Some symptoms of poor visual perception include:
- Poor reading comprehension
- Trouble staying attentive while reading
- Difficulty completing assignments on time
- Always saying “I can’t” before trying
- Not using time well
- Losing belongings
- Having a poor memory or seemingly forgetful
Frequently Asked Questions About Vision Therapy
People of any age are potential candidates for vision therapy. At Belle Vue Specialty Eye Care, we primarily treat children who have visual quality of life issues, adults and youth who have suffered brain injury (including concussion) or stroke, and youth athletes looking to gain an edge on the competition.
After your child’s initial examination, our staff will outline and recommend a schedule of training sessions. The length of treatment will depend on a variety of factors, including the agreed-upon goals between you and your optometrist.
Just like physical therapy or exercise takes weeks or months to provide complete results, vision therapy typically requires months of practice to gain its benefits.
Some insurance plans will cover vision therapy services. However, at Belle Vue Specialty Eye Care, we don’t direct bill your insurance company, nor do we take insurance as a form of payment. Some of our patients have flexible or health spending accounts (FSA/HSA) options that we do accept.
We’re happy to provide you with the forms you require to submit to your insurance company, but all payments to our office must be paid upfront.
At Belle Vue Specialty Eye Care, every person deserves the benefits of vision therapy. That’s why we offer a range of payment plans and financial options to assist you. Our friendly staff can provide you with more information.
Take the First Step Toward Better Vision & Quality of Life for Your Child
Could vision therapy help your child? Start by taking our quick and easy questionnaire to gain insights into their visual needs. It’s a significant first step in understanding how their vision may be impacting their learning, behavior, or daily activities.
Already ready to take action? Schedule an appointment today with our caring team at Belle Vue Specialty Eye Care. Together, we’ll create a personalized plan to help your child thrive and see their world more clearly.
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Visit Our Main Location
Our Address
- 7117 Highway 98, Suite 30
- Hattiesburg, MS 39402
Contact Information
- Phone: (601) 475-2020
- Fax: (800) 493-5956
- Email: hello@bellevuesec.com
Hours Of Operation
What Our Patients are Saying
Several years before seeing Dr. Lott our child had surgery to “correct” her particular eye issue. We were told by other doctors she needed same surgery again for the same issue, but instead we decided to try Vision therapy at Belle Vue. Best decision we ever made! Dr. Lott, Dr. Maples, and the staff at Belle Vue have worked wonders with our child’s vision. Wish we would have tried vision therapy from the very beginning. Our child’s vision & grades have greatly improved and now LOVES to read! Belle Vue is the BEST!!
MR
The best combination of professional expertise and caring, individual attention around! Dr. Megan and all the staff were incredibly helpful in providing direction and care for our newly adopted twins from China, and the time they spent making sure the kids felt comfortable was over-and-above what I ever expected. Cannot recommend them highly enough!
LM
My kids love coming here! They are very kind, caring, patient, and friendly. Love the staff and Dr. Lott!!!
BM
If your child has been struggling in school, I encourage you to bring them here before you do anything else. My daughter had vision issues beyond the usual 20/20 that were inhibiting reading comprehension, writing, and focus. When Dr Lott had measured tests with a plan to treat and improve each one my daughter’s challenges, I knew we had come to the right place. She just did her final evaluation, and her progress over twelve weeks of therapy was astounding. I’m so very grateful for the wonderful therapists at Belle Vue.
KW
Dr Megan Lott is amazing! My daughter has multiple disabilities and she did not once hesitate to treat her. We had been to two other pediatric ophthalmologists, one which wrote her off and one which advised us to go to the Low Vision clinic, before we found Dr Lott. Dr Lott understood what my focus was for my daughter’s vision and worked to come up with a plan to help her have the best use of her functional vision. We got her glasses this afternoon and she hasn’t stopped looking around and smiling and giggling since! Thank you from this mama’s heart for giving my daughter a whole new world!
CD
My son was struggling in school and had very little confidence in himself. Dr. Lott and the staff at Belle Vue were the help that he needed! The results of his vision therapy amaze me! Homework is no longer an ordeal and he is now an honor roll student. He is now very confident and doesn’t approach things with an “I can’t” attitude. I honestly believe that the vision therapy he received at Belle Vue will help him succeed in life!
AC
Dr. Lott and her staff at Belle Vue Specialty Eye Care are extraordinary. Along with being professional and very knowledgeable, they have such a sincere concern for all of their patients. I cannot thank Dr. Lott and her staff enough for what they have done for my family. The Hattiesburg area is so extremely fortunate to have them treating our children. I will always be grateful!
We love Dr Lott and everyone who works there. They are so nice!! Both of my boys went through vision therapy and the progress they made was remarkable. We can not thank them enough!!
NT
BVESC staff is always so welcoming to my children – even though having my children in the office can be chaotic. Beyond that, they provide in depth exams that go further than do you need a glasses prescription but to try to get to the root of the matter. They provide in-house therapy and refer out for therapy. My son no longer needs glasses due to their services!!!!
BH
Dr. Megan Lott is amazing! Her knowledge and expertise as an eye care specialist is second to none. We are so very grateful for the way she has helped our entire family. She spent countless hours preparing a plan for one of our grandsons and pouring encouragement into his heart and mind to help him overcome dyslexia. Dr. Meagan has our highest recommendation and support.
DR
My son was provided a thorough eye exam and vision testing per Dr. Lott. Outstanding, professional, knowledgeable service combined with superior excellence in listening, assessment and critical thinking skills. The entire staff is great with children (and mom 😉 ). As a mom of 4 kids (oldest is 23y.o., youngest is 9y.o.) and RN background, I admit this is super rare find! Very impressed with Dr. Lott and office staff. Thank y’all so much for caring!!
AM
If you are looking for exceptional service and expertise, this is it. Very knowledgeable, professional, and helpful! Our little guy had a great experience, and the service and eyeglass selection is phenomenal!
KV
Dr. Lott is amazing. After 2 other pediatric ophthalmologists simply dismissed my daughter and her vision deficits, we found Dr. Lott. She believed in Addison’s potential to increase her functional vision. Not only did Addison’s eye tracking improve but her head control all improved because she had a reason to look up now! Dr. Lott does whatever it takes to help a child see!
CD
The most amazing people work in this clinic. My son has been a patient with them for 6 months. He has Autism.
They have been a miracle for us. He is no longer on seizure medication, he wasn’t he having seizures. He couldnt see. His reading on a 8.2 reading level. He is 7. He is more social. ODD and OCD are not as bad.
They found what numerous Dr’s and therapist had missed.
LH
We thought my son had dyslexia because he had so many symptoms that pointed in that direction. Then we heard about Dr Lott! We immediately had him tested and started on therapy. I could see vast improvements in confidence and interest in physical activity. We just finished a second round of therapy and we were shocked at the difference in his testing. He had improved in so many areas.
My favorite thing to date is that he has almost finished reading a 150 page chapter book since yesterday!! He always hated reading before therapy. I couldn’t recommend Bellevue Specialty Eye Care enough!
KR
Dr. Lott was so thorough and took the time to sit and explain everything to me. It was well worth the 85 mile trip one way! There’s gonna be a 10 year old little girl that will see the best in her life from now on. Everyone was very welcoming and polite. Would definitely send people to her.
NC
About Us
Vision Therapy Programs
Children’s Eye Care
Eyewear & Lenses
Our Location
- 7117 Highway 98, Suite 30
- Hattiesburg, MS 39402
- Phone: (601) 475-2020
- Fax: (800) 493-5956
- Email: hello@bellevuesec.com
Southern Low Vision Therapy Location
1500 N I-55, Highland Village Suite 245
Jackson, MS 39211
Phone: (601) 487-1089
Email: hello@bellevuesec.com