Vision Therapy
Treats functional vision problems including eye tracking, focusing, eye teaming, and visual processing that can affect reading, learning, and daily activities.
What Is Vision Therapy?
Vision therapy is a program of eye exercises and activities prescribed by a developmental or behavioural optometrist to improve visual function. It targets how the eyes work together and how the brain processes visual information — skills that are different from visual acuity (how clearly you see).
Functional vision problems — difficulty with eye tracking, focusing, convergence (eyes working together), and visual processing — can significantly affect reading, learning, balance, and daily activities. These issues are common in people with developmental disabilities and brain injuries.
Vision therapy uses specialized lenses, prisms, filters, and activities to retrain the visual system. Programs are typically 12-24 weeks of weekly office visits plus daily home exercises.
Who Benefits from Vision Therapy?
learning disabilities
Addresses convergence insufficiency, tracking problems, and visual processing difficulties that can mimic or worsen reading difficulties.
brain injury
Treats post-concussion vision problems including convergence insufficiency, accommodative dysfunction, and oculomotor difficulties that cause headaches, fatigue, and reading problems.
cerebral palsy
Addresses strabismus (eye turn), visual-motor integration, and visual perceptual skills affected by motor cortex involvement.
down syndrome
Treats the high incidence of visual problems including strabismus, accommodation difficulties, and visual-motor integration challenges.
What to Expect in a Session
First Session
A developmental vision assessment (60-90 minutes) evaluates eye tracking, focusing, eye teaming, visual perception, and visual-motor integration — going well beyond a standard eye exam.
Ongoing Sessions
In-office sessions include structured eye exercises, activities with specialized lenses and prisms, and visual-motor tasks. Home exercises are assigned for daily practice.
Your Child's Role
Your child or the adult performs specific eye exercises and visual activities. A home practice program of 15-20 minutes daily is essential for progress.
Caregiver's Role
Parents supervise daily home exercises and monitor for improvements in reading, attention, and visual comfort. Consistency with home practice is critical.
When to Start
Early Childhood (0-5)
Visual skills can be assessed from infancy. Early treatment of strabismus and amblyopia is important for developing binocular vision.
School Age (6-17)
Most common age for vision therapy referrals, particularly when reading difficulties emerge. A developmental vision assessment should be part of any learning difficulties workup.
Adults (18+)
Adults benefit from vision therapy after concussion or brain injury, and for long-standing convergence insufficiency causing eyestrain and headaches.
General guidance: If your child struggles with reading, loses their place frequently, has headaches during near work, or holds books very close, a developmental vision assessment (not just a standard eye exam) is warranted.
| Item | Range | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Assessment | $200–$400 | Developmental vision assessment with a behavioural optometrist |
| Per Session | $100–$150 | 45-60 minutes |
| Insurance | Some extended health plans cover vision therapy under optometry benefits; coverage varies widely | |
| Tax Credit | Eligible for Medical Expense Tax Credit (METC) when prescribed by an optometrist | |
Money-Saving Tips
- Ask about home-based vision therapy programs to reduce the number of in-office visits
- Some optometry schools offer supervised vision therapy at reduced rates
- Check if your provincial health plan covers any portion of developmental optometry assessments
| Province | Status | Program | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| BC | Not Funded | — | Vision therapy is not covered by MSP; eye exams covered for children under 19 but therapy is private-pay. |
| AB | Limited | Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan | Eye exams covered for children under 19 but vision therapy itself is not publicly funded. |
| SK | No data | — | — |
| MB | No data | — | — |
| ON | Limited | OHIP | OHIP covers annual eye exams for children and seniors but does not cover vision therapy; some children's treatment centres offer limited services.(Under 20 (exams only)) |
| QC | Limited | RAMQ | RAMQ covers eye exams for children under 18 and seniors but does not cover vision therapy sessions. |
| NB | No data | — | — |
| NS | No data | — | — |
| PE | No data | — | — |
| NL | No data | — | — |
| NT | No data | — | — |
| NU | No data | — | — |
| YT | No data | — | — |
Evidence & Research
Vision therapy has moderate evidence, with strongest support for convergence insufficiency (the CITT study is the gold standard). Evidence also supports vision therapy for post-concussion vision problems. The evidence is more limited for visual processing disorders and reading difficulties, though clinical results are often positive.
Important Note
Vision therapy is somewhat controversial in the medical community. Ophthalmologists and some paediatric organizations have expressed skepticism about claims that vision therapy can treat learning disabilities. The strongest evidence supports its use for specific, measurable conditions like convergence insufficiency rather than as a treatment for learning disabilities broadly.
Red Flags to Watch For
Be cautious of any provider who:
- Claims vision therapy can cure learning disabilities, ADHD, or dyslexia — it addresses visual components that may contribute to these difficulties, but is not a cure
- The provider is not an optometrist with specific training in developmental or behavioural optometry
- No baseline measurements are taken to track progress objectively
- Extremely expensive programs are recommended without evidence-based justification
- The provider discourages other interventions (tutoring, special education) in favour of vision therapy alone
How to Find a Provider
- 1
Search the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) directory for developmental optometrists
- 2
Ask your optometrist about developmental vision assessments (different from a standard eye exam)
- 3
Contact your provincial optometry association for referrals to behavioural optometrists
- 4
Ask your child's teacher or learning support team if a vision assessment has been considered
- 5
Check if your children's hospital has a neuro-optometry or developmental vision clinic
Conditions That Use Vision Therapy
Знаете службу, которую нам стоит добавить?
Этот каталог растёт благодаря людям из сообщества, которые помогают нам находить то, что мы пропустили. Сообщите нам об организациях, программах или услугах по всей Канаде.