1. Behavioural optometry is an expanded area of optometric practice.

2. A Behavioural optometrist has an holistic approach in the treatment of vision and vision information processing problems.

3. A Behavioural optometrist believes that your visual status and the way that you interpret what you see does not depend solely on how clear your eyesight is.

4. Consideration must be given to all your visual, visual motor and visual perceptual skills. In this way your behavioural optometrist will not only consider the remediation of any eyesight difficulties but also the benefits of prevention, protection and enhancement of your visual system in order to improve all aspects of your visual performance.

5. For more information about Behavioural Optometry go to the college of behavioural optometry website at www.acbo.org.au

1. To develop and enhance the visual skills needed to achieve more affective visual performance at work and play (classroom, sports, work place).

2. To provide remediation or compensation for vision or eye problems that have already developed (eg. Eye turn, short-sightedness etc).

3. To prevent vision and eye problems from developing.

4. To achieve these goals your Behavioural optometrist may recommend the use of the following tools:

a. Advice on visual hygiene techniques to prevent or reduce the possibility of eye problems from developing.

b. Appropriate and judicial care of spectacle lenses and prisms.

c. Vision Therapy to enhance and develop visual skills that are poorly or inadequately developed.

d. Other optical aids such as occlusive techniques and the use of tints or colours.

What are the goals of behavioural optometry?

Vision Therapy (also known as visual training) is an individualized program of activities which may involve the use of lenses, prisms, filters and various other equipment designed to provide the individual with a situation in which they may learn to improve their binocular vision and visual information processing skills.

It may be recommended to:

· Treat existing visual problems such as eye teaming or alignment problems, amblyopia (lazy eye), eye-coordination problems, poorly sustained near focus, poorly developed eye-hand coordination and immature visual perceptual development.

· Enhance the efficiency and comfort of visual function.

· Help prevent some visual problems from developing.

Vision therapy is not used to strengthen eye muscles, but rather to improve the coordination and functioning of the visual system.

Many children who experience academic difficulties may have a visual dysfunction or inefficiency in the way their visual system is working in addition to their primary reading or learning problem. Vision therapy can assist or minimize some learning difficulties by reducing visual inefficiencies only where these are present. It does not cure learning difficulties.

What is Vision Therapy?

V.I.P. refers to the assessment of Visual Information Processing skills.

This comprehensive assessment includes administration of tests to measure some or all of the following aspects of perceptual development.

· Visual-motor integration

· Visual form perception

· Visual-auditory integration

· Visual perceptual speed

· Visualisation

· Visual memory

· Spatial relations / orientation

· Laterality and directionality

In the main, wherever possible, standardised tests are used in which the results can be compared to norms for chronological age or Grade level.

The V.I.P. assessment including discussion of results takes between 60 and 90 minutes. The cost of a V.I.P. assessment is not covered by Medicare and includes a written report which is forwarded around a week or two after the test.

Please feel free to ask our staff about the current costs of V.I.P. assessment.

What is VIP testing?

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