This is free online exercise3 flash eyes relaxation movie.
Download exercise3 free for use
Behavioral optometry
Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine by Angela Woodward
Definition
Behavioral optometry is a system of eye care that emphasizes visual training
as a way to improve the way a patient uses his or her eyes. Rather than simply prescribe
lenses to compensate for eyesight weaknesses, behavioral optometrists attempt to
train the patient to see better across a range of different circumstances.
Origins
Behavioral optometry traces its roots to the writings of Dr. William H. Bates,
a New York City ophthalmologist. Bates began writing in the 1920s about alternatives
to the use of corrective lenses. He believed that many physical and emotional stresses
caused vision problems, and that alleviating these stresses could improve vision.
He noted that modern humans spend an inordinate amount of time doing close work
such as reading, while the human eye may have been originally adapted for distance
vision. Bates devised a program of eye training that allowed patients to gradually
improve their vision without glasses. The English novelist Aldous Huxley recovered
from near-blindness using Bates`s system, and wrote a book about his experience.
Other optometrists built on Bates`s insights, supplementing his research and ideas.
Some researchers focused on the fact that the need for corrective lenses rises in
proportion to a person`s level of education. They concluded that the stress of reading
was probably responsible for poor eyesight. Others noted that vision problems increase
as cultures become increasingly industrialized and developed. Practitioners of behavioral
optometry who built on and extended Bates`s ideas include Dr. Raymond L. Gottlieb
and Dr. Jacob Liberman, both influential authors and teachers. Behavioral optometrists
are distinctly a minority in the field of optometry, but they can be found across
the United States and worldwide.
Benefits
Behavioral optometrists promise many benefits from this way of treating vision
problems. Perhaps the foremost is that people can learn to live without the discomfort
and bother of wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses. Behavioral optometry also focuses
on children, particularly those with learning difficulties. These children can benefit
from learning to train their eyes and so overcome reading problems due to inability
to concentrate or inability to keep the eyes in place on the page. Behavioral optometry
also tries to help patients deal with stress, so that vision training can lead to
a more relaxed and healthy lifestyle. In addition, behavioral optometry has been
used to develop the special visual acuity that is needed for sports; and some practitioners
are trained to treat patients who have suffered vision trauma such as stroke, or
to work with autistic or disabled children.
Description
Behavioral optometry aims to treat the whole patient, not just correct his or
her vision. The first step in an examination may be a wide-ranging series of tests
and questions, geared to determine the patient`s overall visual abilities. This
term means not just how well the eyes read letters on a chart, but such broader
areas of visual perception as hand-eye coordination and color perception. Behavioral
optometrists will prescribe corrective lenses, but these are usually somewhat different
from traditional glasses. The lenses are designed to relieve the stress caused by
such close-focus work as reading or working at a computer. But for distance seeing,
the lenses may not be as accurate as traditional lenses, since the behavioral optometrist
seeks to teach the eyes to relearn distance vision skills that have atrophied. Many
behavioral optometrists prescribe lenses that include a series of small prisms,
which are supposed to help the eyes develop better vision patterns. Behavioral optometrists
also practice v ision therapy, in which the optometrist works closely with the patient
in step-by-step exercises to help the eyes relax and relearn lost skills. These
are not merely eye exercises, because exercising the muscles around the eye can
fatigue them instead of strengthen them. The therapy might involve learning new
skills such as juggling, drawing, dancing, or ball games, as well as relaxation
techniques. The optometrist may also work with the patient to alter diet, sleep
patterns, and lifestyle stress.
Research & general acceptance
Though behavioral optometrists are definitely a minority within the field of
optometry, a body of research supports their methods. This can be found in professional
journals such as Journal of Behavioral Optometry and Journal of Optometric
Vision Development. Bates`s method has been in use since the 1920s, and much
anecdotal evidence attests to its efficacy, including the dramatic case of writer
Aldous Huxley. Other patients and practitioners have written of their ability to
function without glasses and overcome learning disabilities through behavioral optometry.
And one of the major contentions of behavioral optometry is that conventional optometry
does not cure the eye conditions it treats. Myopic patients are given glasses, and
then a stronger pair of glasses, and then a stronger, as vision gradually worsens.
Behavioral optometrists use this development as evidence that conventional optometry
fails its patients.
Training & certification
In the United States, there are three major training institutions for behavioral
optometry. The College of Optometrists and Vision Development offers courses and
examinations leading to an international certificate in behavioral optometry. Clinical
education workshops are offered by the Optometric Extension Program Foundation in
Santa Ana, California. The Baltimore Academy of Behavioral Optometry offers in-depth
coursework in behavioral optometry to qualified optometrists. Only people who already
have a degree in optometry can take these courses. Technicians also work with behavioral
optometrists. These technicians need have no specific educational background, but
to become certified, they must work for 2,000 hours under a certified behavioral
optometrist and pass a written and oral examination.
Key Terms
Ophthalmologist
A physician who specializes in treating diseases and disorders of the
eye.
Optometrist
A professional who examines the eyes for vision defects in order to
fit the patient with corrective lenses or prescribe other appropriate treatment.
Further Reading
For Your Information
Books
Bates, William. The Bates Method for Better Eyesight Without Glasses. New
York: Henry Holt & Co., 1981.
Liberman, Jacob. Take Off Your Glasses and See. New York: Crown Publishers,
1995.
Organizations
Baltimore Academy of Behavioral Optometry. 16 Greenmeadow Drive, Suite 103.
Timonium, MD 21093. (800) 447-0370.
College of Optometrists in Vision Development. 353 H. Street, Suite C. Chula
Vista, CA 91910. (888) 268-3770.
Optometric Extension Program Foundation. 2912 South Daimler Street, Suite
100. Santa Ana, CA 92705. (949) 250-8070.