Imagine having perfect 20/20 vision but struggling to follow the words on a page. This was the reality for Elizabeth, a 10-year-old girl from Lexington, Kentucky, who battled severe reading difficulties despite having clear eyesight. Her story is one of perseverance, hope, and the life-changing impact of Vision Therapy.
The Struggle: More Than Just a Vision Issue
Jennifer Lord, Elizabeth’s mother, first noticed something was wrong when her daughter was in first grade. Elizabeth would come home from school irritable and frustrated, with seemingly no energy left for family time. Despite their efforts, it became clear that Elizabeth couldn’t read—a revelation that left her parents stunned.
Jennifer decided to home-school Elizabeth for two years, hoping that extra attention would help her catch up. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to ease her daughter’s frustration with reading. “She became a different person when we asked her to read,” Jennifer recalls, adding that Elizabeth’s reluctance to read was affecting her entire personality.
The Lords knew this wasn’t just a case of disinterest or poor reading skills. Something deeper was going on, so they sought help from Dr. Rick Graebe FCOVD, a pediatric eye doctor and Vision Therapist in Versailles, Kentucky.
Understanding the Problem: What Vision Therapy Uncovered
After a thorough evaluation, Dr. Graebe diagnosed Elizabeth with several vision disorders, including convergence insufficiency (difficulty focusing with both eyes on a single point), oculomotor dysfunction pursuit (an inability to track lines of text), and binocular vision dysfunction (the failure of both eyes to work together).
While Elizabeth’s 20/20 vision might have seemed perfect, these hidden vision issues were seriously impacting her ability to read and focus. Jennifer’s husband, Brian, had struggled with similar issues as a child and was successfully treated with Vision Therapy. Coincidentally, Brian had been treated by Dr. Robert Sanet, a mentor to Dr. Graebe.
Seeing the parallels between Brian’s and Elizabeth’s experiences, the family felt confident that Vision Therapy was the right path forward.
The Path to Recovery: How Vision Therapy Helped Elizabeth
Last summer, Elizabeth began a 30-week Vision Therapy program at Neuro-Visual Performance Institute, where Dr. Graebe and his team specialize in pediatric eye care and neuro-optometric rehabilitation. Vision Therapy is like physical therapy for the eyes and brain, helping patients improve their visual skills through specific exercises designed to strengthen and coordinate eye movements.
“It was hard at first,” Jennifer admits, reflecting on the early days of the therapy. “Homework was a fight all the way to bedtime, and I barely had time for my other children.” But the results soon started to show.
By the time Elizabeth entered fourth grade at Athens-Chilesburg Elementary, she was behind in reading, but that didn’t last long. By Christmas, she had caught up to her grade level, thanks to her Vision Therapy and the support of her dedicated teacher.
Now, Elizabeth is reading “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” a sixth-grade-level book, and she’s enjoying it. Her mother proudly shares that you can hear Elizabeth laughing as she reads, a sure sign that her confidence and joy in reading have been restored.
Vision Therapy Works
Elizabeth’s story is a testament to the power of Vision Therapy and the profound impact it can have on a child’s life. If your child is struggling with reading or learning, it might be time to consider a comprehensive eye evaluation to identify potential vision issues that standard eye exams often miss.
At Neuro-Visual Performance Institute, we are committed to helping children like Elizabeth reach their full potential. With locations in Versailles serving the greater Lexington area and in Somerset, we are proud to be one of the only pediatric specialty practices in Central and Southern Kentucky offering these life-changing services.
Schedule a pediatric eye exam today by calling us at 859-879-0089.
Credit:
This blog is based on information from Dr. Rick Graebe as compiled and written by John Lynch.