Specialty Services
Binocular Vision Evaluation
A comprehensive vision exam is recommended for all children (6-18 years) before they start school and every year while they are in school. However, when a child struggles with reading and learning or is not achieving to his or her potential, a Binocular Vision Evaluation is needed.
In addition, if you have a younger child (toddler to 5 years) who has an eye turn or lazy eye (strabismus or amblyopia) you should schedule a Binocular Vision Evaluation. A Binocular Vision Evaluation is also necessary for adults who struggle with reading or who have had a head injury of some kind.
Our Binocular Vision Evaluation goes beyond testing for 20/20 vision and evaluates all the visual skills critical to reading and learning, such as:
- Visual Acuity at Near
Is vision clear and single at close distances? Clear sight at short distances is critical to reading, writing, close work, computer use, etc. - Eye Teaming Skills
Do the two eyes aim, move, and work as a coordinated team? Weaknesses in binocular (two-eyed) vision and eye teaming skills can cause numerous difficulties, including convergence insufficiency and poor depth perception. - Eye Focusing Skills
Do the eyes maintain clear vision at varying distances? Rapid, automatic eye focus adjustment is critical to learning, reading, writing, sports, etc. Deficiencies can cause visual fatigue, reduced reading comprehension, and/or avoidance of close work or other activities. - Eye Movement Skills
Do eye movements show adequate muscle control, tracking, fixation, etc.? In the classroom, normal eye movements allow rapid and accurate shifting of the eyes along a line of print or from book to desk to board, etc. In sports, efficient eye movements contribute to eye-hand coordination, visual reaction time, and accurate tracking. - Reversal Frequency
Is confusion or reversal of letters or words (b, d; p, q; saw, was; etc.) within the normal ranges for a given age? Past the age of seven, frequent visual and written reversals might indicate a visual perceptual dysfunction. - Visual Information Processing
Most people don’t realize that our eyes are actually part of the brain and that the information that our eyes see has to be transmitted to the brain for us to understand what we are looking at. When children are making reversals or seem to be seeing things backwards, have difficulty recognizing the same word twice (on next page), have trouble with visual memory such as remembering what they read or have trouble copying from the board, a visual information processing evaluation is often recommended.
Treatment will vary depending on the depth of the problem. Sometimes glasses can help. When more in-depth treatment is needed we provide an in-office program of optometric vision therapy.
Vision Information Processing
Most people don’t realize that our eyes are actually part of the brain and that the information that our eyes see has to be transmitted to the brain for us to understand what we are looking at. When children are making reversals or seem to be seeing things backwards, have difficulty recognizing the same word twice (on next page), have trouble with visual memory such as remembering what they read or have trouble copying from the board, a visual information processing evaluation is often recommended.
Vision Problems after Head Injury or Stroke
A head injury can result in vision problems, and it doesn’t matter how young or old you are. Whether you have fallen off a bike, had a car accident or a stroke, vision problems can range from being very subtle to severe.
Vision Problems and Special Needs Children
Children with Special Needs have the same vision problems as neuro-typical children. These disorders may include nearsightedness or farsightedness, as well as other eye-coordination disorders such as:
- eye turns (strabismus)
- eye movement dysfunction
- “lazy eye” (amblyopia)
- poor eye teaming and coordination
Vision problems of this nature can add to your child’s challenges. A hidden visual dysfunction may be affecting your child’s behavior, interfering with his ability to read and learn, and reducing his ability to perform routine tasks.
Co-management of Cataract, Laser Vision Correction, Retina, Glaucoma, Strabismus and Lid Surgeries
Eye surgery co-management is the care provided by your family eye doctor before and after eye surgery.
Dr. Dibler maintains an active relationship with many of the cataract, refractive, glaucoma, lid, and retina specialists in the St. Louis area. Having worked with and trusting Dr. Dibler’s clinical skills, many of the specialists are willing to co-manage your eye surgery with us. Similar to physical therapy, vision therapy can be very helpful after eye surgery.
Our extensive co-management experience and exceptional rapport with many eye surgeons and specialists provide for convenient and conscientious eye care every step of the way right. Our team can do “all the leg work” in coordinating all your care with the surgeon and specialist right for you.
Are your eyes dry, burning, irritated or watery?
Usually during the winter we are indoors a lot, with dry heat. As a result, people who suffer with dry eyes tend to feel more symptoms. Do you ever have intermittent blurry vision or do your eyes ever feel:
- Scratchy and gritty?
- Like they are burning? Stinging?
- Itchy?
- Painful?
- Sensitive to light?
Your eyes could be dry due to allergies, medication, auto immune disease or hormonal changes associated with aging. Even your contact lens solution could be the culprit.
These are all signs that your eyes are dry. Normally your eyes are supposed to lubricate themselves on a regular basis. When they don’t lubricate themselves properly the eyes will become irritated.
