Call 07 3862 3255 for bookings. 87% of all children who experience reading difficulties have some form of eye dysfunction like tracking, focus, fatigue etc. Most visual problems go undiagnosed or inaccurately/incompletely diagnosed.
Bryan Smith, developmental and behavioural optometrist, will be providing expert visual consultations on 6 May 2010, at 620 Sandgate Road CLAYFIELD.
Fruition has engaged the expert Vision Services of Bryan Smith for approximately 14 years.
Recently, Bryan was a Behavioural Optometrist in Brisbane’s Bayside and then he moved to Melbourne to study revolutionary techniques in vision improvement specialising in children’s vision for optimum learning functioning.
Bryan has been invited to support Fruition clients and families and provide consultation inside Fruition Learning Centres; we believe our learning programs and strategies compliment Bryan’s Vision approaches.
Although Bryan specialises in children with learning and behavioural problems he can assist people of all ages with a variety of vision problems and solutions.
One of Bryan’s aims is where possible, to help his patients get out of their glasses.
Consultations with Bryan arebulk billed to Medicare.
While Bryan will be operating in Brisbane centres initially he intends to extend the service across the entire Fruition Group. To make an appointment please call Daniela at Fruition Clayfield on 07 3862 3255. Bryan’s first day will be 6 May 2010, at Fruition Clayfield, 620 Sandgate Road CLAYFIELD.
We are delighted to support our Fruition learners and their families by providing this additional service.
Background Information:
Vision Improvement has been made possible byIntegratingVision and Body
By aligning the eyes with the body, posture and balance and movement are improved. This has a wide application for how we treat Ametropia (blurred vision), Sports Vision, Children’s Vision and Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation patients such as Parkinson’s disease and Head Injuries, leading to better outcomes.
Generally speaking, it is the ability to focus or lack thereof that is considered in optometric consultation. This is called Focal Vision. Logically one would consider Focal Vision to be responsible for the visual processes as to how things are perceived. What is publicly not well known is thatthis is only part of the big picture of vision. Another vision to consider is what is known as Ambient Vision. This deals with the "focus" of body posture, balance and movement. Twenty per cent of the optic nerve fibres, representing as much as 85 per cent of the retinal nerve cells, pass through the superior colliculus and go to the posturing mechanism of the body, therefore posturing and balance are part of the visual process.
When Focal and Ambient Vision are brought into balanced, new or renewed (co-ordinated) vision body integration can take place, leading to new possibilities and opportunities for the given individual. In essence, the whole person is facilitated into integrative focus and perspective.
This methodology allows visuo-somatic pathways to support and regulate vision such that subsequent ophthalmic prescriptions are reduced to a minimum or to no optical appliance being required at all.
Tips to protect your vision:
Good vision habits can reduce strain on the visual function and therefore reduce the likelihood of adverse adaptions. These good habits include:
- Take breaks during sustained close work every twenty minutes. Stop, look up, make distance object clear, breathe! Then return your eyes back to the close work.
- Don’t hold work too close.
- Have good lighting and posture.
- Off-set high demand tasks with out-door games requiring adequate distance viewing.
Given the importance of efficient visual function it is recommended that vision development not be left to chance. Ideally all children should be examined at:
- The age of six months
- Two and a half years
- Before commencing school
- Yearly there after
Protect you vision (extended version):
Protect your good vision. Good vision habits can reduce strain on you and you visual function and therefore reduce the likelihood of adverse adaptations.
- Take breaks during study, VDU work and other sustained close demand tasks. These rest breaks do not need to be long. When reading a book place a book mark 2 pages ahead, when you reach it, look up, look away, breathe, then put it 2 pages ahead. On a VDU set an alarm to remind you to take a rest break every 20 minutes, but get up and stretch every hour.
- Working distance: Don’t work too close. Your eyes should be a knuckle-to-elbow distance from your book when reading or writing.
- Good lighting: of the work task is important. Use general room illumination as well as a reading lamp positioned over you shoulder and not into the eyes.
- Good posture: promotes the knuckle-to–elbow reading distance and equal use of the eyes.
- Tilt your work whenever possible: A slope top desk is a valuable tool to good vision function, since it tilts book and work surface parallel to the plane of the face and also helps support the body in a balanced posture.
- Do not sit any closer to the T.V. than you have to. As a rule thumb, 4 times the width of the screen is a good viewing distance. Use adequate room lighting. It is important to note that vision develops better with active tasks such as sport and reading, thus children should be encouraged to limit passive T.V. viewing times.
- Off-set high demands near tasks with out-door games requiring adequate distance viewing.
- Restrict near demands during acute illness. At such time our personal energy reserves are lowered and hence our ability to sustain management of visual skills will be reduced. High fevers appear to put the visual system at risk of significant damage.
- Avoid reading and other sustained activity while travelling by car. At such times movements greatly add to your eye focus, point and teaming demands
For further information contact Bryan Smith:
Phone: 07 3862 3255
Mobile: 0404 540 497.
Email: bryansmith@vsi.net.au
Further information: www.vsi.net.au