What Does a Behavioural Optometrist do?
Behavioural Optometrists conduct in-depth examinations of visual abilities which include everything that standard optometrists do and more. Behavioural Optometrists look at visual skills, efficiency, and visual processing as well as the effects of visual stress.
A Behavioural Optometrist uses visual training, lenses and prisms to improve visual skills so that the eyes can work efficiently and without stress, and where necessary, improve visual information processing skills.
Grant Dabb Children's Vision Contact Us
Why Would My Child Need to See a Behavioural Optometrist?
When the eyes cannot perform their tasks easily and comfortably they become stressed. Responses to visual stress can be physical – headaches etc., or behavioural – avoidance of tasks and drop in performance.
- Eyes under stress – strained, tired, itchy, burning, headaches, migraine
- Computer eye strain
- Assessing children of all ages including school readiness
- Children reading and learning below their potential
- Poor eye-hand co-ordination as in handwriting, copying and ball sports
- Poor concentration at close tasks
- Sports with high visual demands
- Recovery from traumatic brain injury
- People with special needs such as physical, behavioural or intellectual disabilities who often have visual problems and spatial awareness difficulties.
How Can the Behavioural Optometrist Help?
The Behavioural Optometrist will firstly perform a thorough eye examination including:
- Health and sight: Are the eyes healthy? Can they see clearly?
- Function and efficiency: Do the eyes have the visual skills to see comfortably for as long as they need to
without effort and without interfering with the performance of other skills?
- Visual perception: Do we have the skills to interpret and understand what we are seeing in a way that it makes sense?
- Integration: Do our visual skills and information work together with input from our other senses and our bodies?
The Optometrist may recommend glasses to correct vision or relieve stress. Sometimes stress relieving glasses are prescribed as a temporary measure until the eyes are able to cope by themselves.
The Optometrist may also recommend visual therapy to build up visual and perceptual skills and this is conducted at a local practice we can refer you to.
