Traditional vision therapy has been around for many decades and even though today’s research shows it is successful, it is not the most effective way to train vision because these traditional methods focus primarily on training the eye muscles. The eyes make up the smallest component of our visual system – only 30%.

 

In our office we offer a new and advanced treatment approach, based on the science of neuroplasticity. It focuses on training the largest part of the visual system – the other 70% – which is the “neuron pathways that connect the eyes to the brain”.

 

Think of these pathways like your personal internet. Just like your internet at home, if these pathways are working at high speed capacity, you too will be able to:

– Take in information visually faster

– Read quicker

– Learn more (e.g. homework is not a struggle)

– Pay attention longer

– Be able to respond accurately to an oncoming ball when playing a sport

 

The opposite is true, too! Just like the same frustration that happens when dealing with a slow home internet, you too will feel that same frustration when reading or doing work if your visual pathways are working slowly. This is especially true for children – they read slower, learn less and have difficulty paying attention longer. At work, you can experience overall fatigue, visual fatigue and less productivity.

 

The benefit is that treatment results will occur faster and will have a long lasting effect. This unique treatment approach is based on the latest research of neuroplasticity.

 

Neuroplasticity shows that the brain is trainable at any age and through our program, we are training 100% of the visual system. What this means to our patients is that our treatment is more cost effective. For instance, patients that might traditionally do therapy for 9-12 months can use our program which only takes about 4-6 months on average.

Here are some of the conditions, issues, and disorders this type of therapy may help:
– Dyslexia
– Ambloypia (lazy eye)
– Learning Related Vision Problems
– Auditory Processing Disorders
– Strabismus
– Acquired Brain Injuries (Concussion, Stroke)
– Convergence Insuffficiency
– Retained Primitive Reflexes
– Sensory Processing Disorders
– Visual Processing Disorders

Dr. Ingelse has been practicing for over 20 years and obtained additional Residency Specialty training in Vision Therapy and Pediatrics. She is at the forefront of vision training by training the vision system through the brain instead of only the eye muscles. Both Dr. Ingelse and Dr. Ahrens are certified in the CogniViiSION™ therapy protocol.

On average, therapy takes 4-6 months, depending on the severity of the case and the age of the patient. The doctor will determine that after doing a pretreatment evaluation.

In our protocol, we ask our patients to come in for 1-hour sessions twice per week (2 hours per week). If you are able to follow this recommended regiment, most patients start reporting improvement of symptoms and performance between the 12th and 18th hour of treatment.

Because of how comprehensive our treatment is, we never do any treatment for less than 36 hours. Potentially, more may be required based on the severity of the case and the age of the patient. This is why we do baseline testing – because it tells the doctors the degree of severity of the case and they are able to better determine an estimated length of treatment time based on each patient’s abilities.

We are not participating providers in any insurance plans. Because every plan is different, you should find out from your plan directly. After the initial consultation evaluation, Dr. Ingelse or Dr. Ahrens can determine a diagnosis code and you can check with your medical insurance plan what their guidelines are. We can also provide superbills which will have procedure codes and medical diagnosis so that you can submit to your insurance companies directly for any reimbursement they may offer.

We do have payment options that offer discounts, but they are based on which payment plan you chose. Additionally, you may want to confirm with your employers but most allow flex-spending plans to be used for these services. You should check with your policy provider to find out.

Our program is directed to activate the cells that need to work at maximum capacity when your child reads so that reading is an easier task. However, in order to get better at the task, your child needs to practice it. The difference in practicing to read before compared to after the treatment is that if the cells needed for reading were not working at maximum capacity, then the task was not being learned; when the cells work at a greater or maximum capacity, the reading task is easier to do. The easier reading is, the more a child does it – no longer avoiding it – and becomes better at it.  One component of CogniViiSION™ is the PATH.  To learn more and see data on its effectiveness, visit pathtoreading.com.

 

In summary, our treatment does not teach your child to read, but it does activate and strengthen the vision pathways that your child needs when reading – again, like a faster internet. The faster the speed of the connection, the more data can be processed. Imagine using a dial-up connection compared to a T4 line. This is why children can absorb visual information faster, read more fluently and ultimately learn faster and be more productive.