Can we handle yet another VT discussion?

[Heathermomster]

I found an OD from the COVD.org website, and DS was seen today. DS took a basic tracking test, not the computer tracking test wearing green/red glasses. She performed some eye alignment tests using a red filter and mentioned that DS was fine with eye alignment.

 

DS requires anti-fatigue glasses with a prism. The OD sells eye-ware, but doesn't accept my vision insurance. I told the OD that I would like to wait until I reviewed her written report prior to making any financial decisions. These lenses are very expensive.

 

I spoke with my eye doc that accepts our vision insurance, and he has agreed to order lenses to help DS. He wants to look at DS again with the report in hand, so I will make an appt once I receive it. Everyone has been very friendly. Apparently, the report will detail any therapies that she feels are necessary. Outside of my copay, insurance paid. The appointment was all very anti-climatic, which is good. So we wait for the report... Thank-you for reading (listening) ...Heather

[Gingerbread Mama]

I'm happy to hear that you had a good visit. That is wonderful that your eye dr is apparently ok with the VT stuff and willing to order the glasses so you can use your insurance!

 

How long until you get the paperwork? I would be on pins and needles :) but that's just my personality.

[PeterPan]

Wish I could help you. We never did prism glasses. The only people I've heard of who needed them did VT. It doesn't make sense to me that he would need them and not VT, but obviously I don't know everything. That's not a pretty position to put you in. I'm guessing the glasses will help. It just really don't answer the question of WHY the eyes are fatiguing, kwim? My dd's eyes were fatiguing with reading, but it was because she wasn't focusing and converging properly.

 

Sorry I can't be more help.

[Heathermomster]

Wish I could help you. We never did prism glasses. The only people I've heard of who needed them did VT. It doesn't make sense to me that he would need them and not VT, but obviously I don't know everything. That's not a pretty position to put you in. I'm guessing the glasses will help. It just really don't answer the question of WHY the eyes are fatiguing, kwim? My dd's eyes were fatiguing with reading, but it was because she wasn't focusing and converging properly.

 

Sorry I can't be more help.

 

The fatigue comes from extended focusing due to the esophoria. As I understand it, the anti-fatigue glasses are a fancy name for lineless bifocals, with a +.75 difference between far and near vision. The prism does something with the light to further reduce eye fatigue but is not absolutely necessary. He needs the slightest prism. No eye exercises were recommended. She owns another business that does the VT. I'm assuming I'll have to go over there to get further testing. It's all very confusing. She's COVD. One of her practices accepts my insurance, and the other does not.

[Rod Everson]

The prism does something with the light to further reduce eye fatigue but is not absolutely necessary. He needs the slightest prism. No eye exercises were recommended. She owns another business that does the VT. I'm assuming I'll have to go over there to get further testing. It's all very confusing. She's COVD. One of her practices accepts my insurance, and the other does not.

 

First, regarding the insurance issue, she has two practices, one an optometric practice, and the second a VT practice. If you have vision insurance, it will usually cover the sort of testing, etc., done in a standard optometrist's practice. It only rarely will cover VT, however, except maybe for part of the initial exams. Anyone considering VT who thinks their insurance will cover it, needs to investigate that carefully before beginning, because insurance might indeed pay for the initial visit, and then parents optimistically assume VT is covered and find out later they owe big money out of pocket.

 

As for the prisms, it's possible your son's eyes are slightly out of alignment in the vertical direction, rather than the horizontal. VT trains the horizontal because we all have eye muscles that can converge or diverge the eyes. But moving one up or down relative to the other is a different story, yet some people do have a misalignment vertically. My understanding is that prisms are definitely called for in such a case, though I've no way of knowing whether that's the case with your son.

 

I agree that if it's a horizontal issue, VT would seem to be a solution, but then if the glasses work, and the expense is easier to bear because of insurance, maybe that's the way to go? I'd be curious how often she refers to VT. If she does so routinely, but feels the glasses are what's needed in your case, that's one thing, but sometimes an optometrist will try glasses as an interim step, hoping they work, trying to save you money. If that's the case, make sure you are aware of it, because I've known cases where parents have assumed they'd addressed the issue with the glasses, and later failed to remember that the optometrist had said, "If these don't do the trick, come back and we'll consider the VT route."

 

Essentially, any signs of obvious visual distress should disappear when the glasses are used. They're like a switch ("on" is good, "off" is back to visual distress and problems reading), not a training device where you see gradual improvement over time. If the reading problem persists, and it's not due to a poor understanding of phonics, but to visual discomfort, lean toward getting the full developmental vision evaluation.

 

Rod Everson

OnTrack Reading

[PeterPan]

Well you know, when she owns a business for VT and could recommend it and doesn't, that's a pretty good sign. People debate whether there's evidence for VT, blah blah, but what I've read is that the things where it is BEST are the things we had going on (convergence, focusing, etc.). I know nothing about esphoria, but if she's saying VT isn't what he needs right now, that's awesome. And if he needs it later, at least you have the right person. That would be wonderful just to help with the eye fatigue, mercy. It made it REALLY hard to get school work done when we were struggling with that.