Let’s Talk About Some Vision Therapy Myths

Eye surgery is the only option for treating misaligned eyes.

Sometimes surgery is the only option, but it's the way in which we arrive there that matters. Thinking surgery is the only option from the jump is where this line of thinking goes wrong. Sometimes surgery is the answer but it’s hardly the only answer and is typically the last one as well. Most cases that might prompt someone to seek surgery first could actually, and do, benefit from vision therapy. The effects of therapy can typically do one of two things: eliminate the need for surgery altogether by achieving proper alignment or significantly reducing the misalignment to the point where surgery might not be considered as a treatment option anymore. There’s another downside to just doing surgery without therapy and this might be the most important point. I’ve seen countless patients, mostly strabismic, decline therapy after a vision therapy exam in order to pursue the surgical route. What happens is surgically the muscles surrounding the eyes are shortened, physically moving the eye or eyes into alignment. The problem is that the brain was never paired with the eyes, neurologically, that would hold them there and because the patient doesn’t know how to maintain that posture with mind-eye connection then they drift out of alignment once more. In order for a surgery to have its greatest effect it generally has to sit upon the bedrock of a solid vision therapy routine.