Vision therapy
[7][8][9] As of 2020[update] the consensus among ophthalmologists, orthoptists and pediatricians is that non-strabismic visual therapy lacks documented evidence of effectiveness.
[12] There exist a few different broad classifications of vision treatment philosophies, which have been traditionally divided between optometrists, ophthalmologists, and practitioners of alternative medicine.
[13] Commonly practiced by orthoptists, optometrists, behavioral optometrists, pediatric ophthalmologists, and general ophthalmologists, traditional orthoptics addresses problems of eye strain, visually induced headaches, strabismus, diplopia and visual-related skills required for reading.
With specific training, in some countries orthoptists may be involved in monitoring some forms of eye disease, such as glaucoma, cataract screening, and diabetic retinopathy.
Historically, there has been some difference in philosophy among optometry and medicine regarding the efficacy and relevance of vision therapy, although none support its use in treating learning disorders.
Major organizations, including the International Orthoptic Association and the American Academy of Ophthalmology, have concluded that there is no validity for clinically significant improvements in vision with BVT, and therefore do not practice it.
According to the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, the behavioral aspects of vision therapy are considered scientifically unproven.
[10] In 2008, vision scientist Brendan Barrett published a review of behavioral optometry at the invitation of the UK College of Optometrists.
[2] In contrast, Steven Novella points out that the only condition for which there is good quality scientific evidence is convergence disorders.
[citation needed] Fusional amplitude training is also designed to alleviate intermittent exotropia[26] and other less common forms of strabismus.
Certain do-it-yourself eye exercises are claimed by some to improve visual acuity by reducing or eliminating refractive errors.
The programme's effectiveness, however, is very much in question, given that over the same time as that in which there have been regular school eye exercises, the prevalence of nearsightedness among Chinese children, quite contrarily to the government's intended goal, has risen significantly.
[33] Behavioral optometry is largely based on concepts that lack plausibility or which contradict mainstream neurology, and most of the research done has been of poor quality.
[34] As with chiropractic, there seems to be a spectrum of scientific legitimacy among practitioners: at one extreme there is some weak evidence in support of the idea that myopia may be affected by eye training;[2] at the other extreme are concepts such as "syntonic phototherapy" which proposes that differently colored lights can be used to treat a variety of medical conditions.
This early and traditional form of vision therapy was the foundation of what is now known as orthoptics and was based on observation not research or evidence.
[38] In the first half of the twentieth century, orthoptists, working with ophthalmologists, introduced a variety of training techniques mainly designed to improve ocular alignment.
