Oakville Centre for Vision

Logo DR Gall Vision Therapy

Foundations for Learning Centre

Enhancing Vision and its Learning Connection

Vision problems that cause learning interference are treatable – 9 out of 10 students improve their visual skills through vision therapy and achieve success in school.

Vision and Learning

Seeing is our dominant sense and about 80% of learning channels through our eyes. Vision problems may have a profound effect on learning, and how we make sense of what is seen. Deficient visual skills can cause learning interference; students may be struggling in school, or working twice as hard to achieve academic success.

Vision and Learning Kids

For some children, the effortless process of making sense of what is seen is not robust; one or more visual skills may be fragile and lose their auto-pilot mode with stress or while in the course of learning to read. For other children, just a single visual skill may have not reached the appropriate level of developed causing learning interference.

OVERCOMING LEARNING-RELATED VISION PROBLEMS

Vision problems that are related to learning are treatable – 9 out of 10 patients are successful at driving their neuro-learning to improve their visual skills, given diligent effort. If vision problems are left un-treated then the learning-potential gap widens, students continue to work harder than necessary for academic success, and this may even restrict the progression of other remediation efforts.
 
Connect with the Doctor regarding vision therapy for your child:  DrGall@oakvillecentreforvision.com
 
 

A CONCUSSION IS A FORM OF MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY.
Concussions are a result from a direct blow to the head, or indirectly from something such as whiplash.
The impact causes the brain to hit against the inside of the skull causing brain bruising. It is estimated that nearly ½ a million (~500,000) concussions occur yearly in the Canada.

CONCUSSION SYMPTOMS CAN PERSIST
10% of concussions result in symptoms that can last months, or more. When these symptoms are unrelenting, the patient is diagnosed with Persistent Post-Concussion Syndrome (PPCS). Although most concussion resolve within one month.

GENERAL SYMPTOMS
CONCUSSIONS HAVE THESE TYPICAL SYMPTOMS. * Vision related

  • Confusion
  • Headache*
  • Disorientation
  • Vomiting and/or Nausea
  • Unsteadiness*
  • Light sensitivity*
  • Blurred Vision*
  • Double vision*
  • Loss of place when reading*
  • Post-traumatic amnesia
  • Dizziness*

THE MISSING LINK
UP TO 1/2 OF SYMPTOMS ARE VISUAL, MEANING VISION IS OFTEN THE MISSING LINK.
Recent research suggests that over 50% of patients with concussion or post-concussion syndrome have visual problems that may cause headaches, eye-headaches, double vision, eye strain, blurred vision or dizziness.
Since seeing is our dominant-sense and about 80% of learning channels through our eyes, Persistent Post-Concussion Syndrome (PPCS) may cause students to have decreased reading speed and comprehension, or to work twice as hard for their current academic success.
For some children with PPCS, the effortless process of making sense of what is seen is altered. One or more visual skills for learning may be fragile and lose their auto-pilot mode and result in interference with learning.

OVERCOMING LEARNING-RELATED VISION PROBLEMS SECONDARY TO CONCUSSION
Optometrists have a great understanding of the visual system. They have the opportunity to retrain visual skills through a program of vision therapy or neuro-optometric rehabilitation. This helps eliminate the visual symptoms most commonly associated with Persistent Post-Concussion Syndrome (PPSC) and enhance vision and its learning connection.

GETTING TREATMENT
YOU WILL WANT AN 
OPTOMETRIST DEDICATED TO NEURO-OPTOMETRIC REHABILITATION (VISION THERAPY)
Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation represents a specific area of optometry, which addresses deficits in eye-teaming, focusing, visual tracking, visual processing problems, and related visual problems. These visual problems are common with patients who have concussion and other forms of acquired brain injury. Treatment may involve spectacle lens prescriptions, prisms, filters, special tints and vision therapy which can provide relief.
Vision therapy entails a variety of non-surgical therapeutic procedures designed to vitalize visual function. Vision therapy involves a series of treatments during which carefully planned activities are carried out by the patient under professional supervision. The targeted treatments are determined by the nature and severity of the diagnosed condition. Vision therapy is done to enhance visual skills to boost performance – not to simply strengthen eye muscles.

What Symptoms to Look for:

  • Working twice as hard to reach their academic success
  • Poor reading performance
  • Difficulty finishing written-work in the allotted amount of time
  • Distractibility
  • Poor attention
  • Difficulty copying from board to paper or from book to paper
  • Responds better verbally than in writing
  • Seems to know the material but does poorly on written tests
  • Better comprehension when story is read to them
  • Struggling in school
  • Not reaching their academic potential
    • blurred vision
    • eye strain
    • burning or tearing eyes
    • eye rubbing
    • tired eyes
    • double-vision (covers one eye)
  • Holds near-work close
  • Loses place when reading
  • Uses ruler, guide or finger when reading
  • Letter (number) reversals
  • Difficulty spelling
  • Difficulty learning simple words
  • Difficulty recognising the same word repeated on page
  • Mistakes words with similar beginnings (eg. ‘search’ for ‘season’)
  • Sloppy handwriting or drawing skills
  • Poor spacing between words
  • Difficulty writing numbers in columns for math

WE HAVE 4 STEPS TO DETERMINE IF VISION IS THE DIFFERENCE.

1. A Complete Digital Exam is the first step. If an eye exam has been completed within 12-months then it does not need to be repeated. The goal is to ensure the eye and visual system are healthy and the patient has the best optical correction, with prism if necessary, for success. Diagnostic testing may require dilating drops to ensure the best optical prescription.

2.Determine candidacy for the Foundations for Learning Centre– Enhancing Vision and Its Learning Connections, by completing a 2-hour Initial Assessment. This testing is a critical appraisal of 12 visual skills of learning, that goes far beyond the basic eye exam and 20/20 vision clarity. If two or more of the 12 visual skills tested are significantly below normal, then these are visual anchors reducing performance in school. The findings are in a 20-page Report with a 2-graph Profile of visual skills and visual symptoms.

3.Initiate vision therapy if two or more of the 12 visual skills tested are significantly below normal.  Depending on the number visual skills below normal, vision therapy is scheduled over 2 or more Blocks (each Block is 6 weeks long). The Doctor-Directed program is delivered to patients by a vision therapist two-times per week (45-minutes for in-office and 30-minutes for Tele-iCare sessions). End-of-Block Evaluations are compared to the Initial Assessment findings by Dr. Gall to target the treatment for success.

4.Home support activities are essential for success.These home support home activities use specific software programs and custom eye-exercises. They are completed 5 times per week for 30 minutes, tracked using Goal For Success end-points to ensure the standard effort is applied. Part of the rapid success for vision therapy is making therapy a priority in the patient’s life. 

Dr Gall Image

Dr. Gall is an optometrist who cares for patients and is excited when they reach their potential and achieve success. From the beginning, Dr. Gall has offered vision therapy as an option for success. In 1993, Dr. Gall received his Doctorate in Optometry, and then in 1995, he received his Master of Vision Science in the area of binocular vision after which he started his practice. In 1999, he received his Fellowship from the American Academy of Optometry (FAAO). In the fall of 2010, he moved his practice to a larger facility and opened the Oakville Centre for Vision – Excellence in Vision Therapy with its four centres of excellence. Upon studying for two years, in 2015 Dr. Gall was awarded the Diplomate in Binocular Vision Perception & Pediatric Optometry (Diplomate BVPPO), and in 2018 Dr. Gall earned his Fellowship from the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (FCOVD), which all clearly demonstrates his desire for lifelong learning to provide excellence in vision therapy and best patient care.

Connect with the Doctor here:  DrGall@oakvillecentreforvision.com

Dr. Gall’s Vision Therapist Team, led by Heather Dillon, play a vital role in caring for patients and motivating them to achieve success for lifelong learning. Heather has a Bachelor of Arts degree, two designations of certified vision therapist (PVTAP, COVT) and over 10 years of experience with vision therapy. The Vision Therapy Team works closely with Dr. Gall while providing personalized vision therapy.

The philosophy of the Foundations for Learning Centre – the Vision and Learning Connection, is based on the work of Drs. Mitchell Scheiman and Michael Rouse (Optometric Management of Learning-Related Vision Problems, 2nd Ed. 2006), Drs. Mitchell Scheiman and Bruce Wick (Clinical Management of Binocular Vision, 4th Ed. 2014) and Drs. Sidney Groffman and Harold Solan (Developmental & Perceptual Assessment of Learning-Disabled Children: theoretical concepts and diagnostic testing. 1994) which are guiding references for any practice offering vision therapy.