phone Book Now
phone Book Now
Rockyview Health Centre, 1011 Glenmore Trail SW Building #1 Suite 423, Calgary, AB T2V 4R6, Canada
587-353-5061 Book Appointment

beyond 20/20: Enhancing learning and athletic skills through Optometric Vision Therapy

As published in Calgary’s Child magazine

as in calgarys child magazine

Dr. Farah Sunderji, OD

When most people think of vision, they picture an eye chart and 20/20 eyesight. But true vision goes beyond clarity – it’s a complex system involving how the eyes move, focus, work together, and how the brain processes what’s seen. If any of these visual skills are underdeveloped, it can impact a child’s learning, sports performance, and more.

At Eyedeology, our vision therapy programs are designed to strengthen the essential visual skills needed for learning and athletic performance.

Why Vision Matters for Learning

Eighty percent of classroom learning is done visually. Skills like reading, writing, paying attention, and copying from the board all rely on how well a child’s eyes coordinate and communicate with the brain. Some kids may struggle with these tasks even if they have 20/20 vision.

Common vision issues affecting learning and sports include:

  • Convergence Insufficiency: Difficulty keeping both eyes aligned when focusing on near tasks. This can cause headaches, eye strain, and reduced concentration during reading or homework. In sports, it may affect depth perception and accuracy, making it harder to catch a ball, judge distance, or aim precisely.

  • Accommodative Dysfunction: Trouble shifting focus quickly between near and far. This can lead to blurred or double vision, making it hard to follow a fast-moving ball or respond quickly in games.

  • Tracking Issues: Poor eye movement control can cause kids to lose their place while reading, skip words, or misread lines on the board. On the field, this affects their ability to anticipate and react to plays, follow an opponent, or judge the ball’s movement with what the eyes see.

These difficulties can make visual activities tiring, reduce focus, and cause frustration or ultimately avoidance of tasks. Often, children with undetected vision issues are misdiagnosed with attention problems or lack of motivation rather than being pinpointed for the correct cause. It is important to recognize these types of visual deficiencies that require more than just glasses or contact lenses to improve.

How Vision Therapy Helps with Learning and Sports Performance

Optometric vision therapy is a personalized, optometrist-guided program that strengthens skills like eye coordination, tracking, focusing, and visual processing. Through fun, interactive activities, skilled optometrists retrain the visual system to work more efficiently.

How Vision Therapy Helps Athletes

Athletes rely on quick judgement of speed, distance, and position, which requires strong visual skills. Sports vision therapy enhances these abilities by training the eyes, brain, and body to work together. It sharpens reaction times, strengthens eye-body brain connection and gives young athletes a competitive edge.

Supporting Calgary Kids’ Visual Health

As your child gears up for a new school year or sports season, it’s important to ensure their visual system is ready. A comprehensive eye exam, combined with a binocular vision assessment, can identify hidden visual problems before they become a barrier to athletic performance.

How to promote healthy visual development at home:

  • Encourage outdoor play for at least one hour daily.

  • Limit recreational screen time to one hour daily and follow the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

  • Provide a nutritious diet rich in leafy greens and foods. Calgary’s parks and sports programs offer great opportunities to build visual-motor skills naturally through play and movement.

If your child avoids reading, complains of headaches, shows a lack of interest in sports despite trying hard, or struggles with keeping up, a binocular vision exam and visual skills assessment may be the missing link. Many children have perfectly healthy eyes (20/20), but their brains aren’t using the visual information effectively.

We have seen first-hand how vision therapy can reignite a child’s love for learning, boost academic achievement, and restore confidence in sports. When visual skills improve, everything else follows.

To learn more visit eyedeology.ca or schedule an assessment call 587-353-5061 or email [email protected]

recent post

phone Call NowBook Now

Supporting Ocular Surface Healing and Comfort

The membrane contains natural growth factors and anti-inflammatory properties. When placed over the cornea, it acts as a protective layer that supports healing and may help reduce inflammation.

Potential Benefits

  • Supports Healing: Helps promote natural healing of the eye’s surface.
  • Reduces Inflammation: Its natural properties may help calm inflammation.
  • Improves Comfort: May help relieve discomfort related to dry eye.
  • Supports Recovery: Helps support the healing of the ocular surface.

Who May Benefit?

Amniotic Membrane Therapy may be suitable for people with moderate to severe dry eye, particularly when conventional treatments have not provided enough relief. An eye care professional can assess your eyes and determine if this treatment is appropriate.

How Does It Work?

The amniotic membrane is the innermost layer of the placenta and contains growth factors and anti-inflammatory properties. During treatment, a specially prepared membrane is placed over the eye’s surface to act as a biological covering and support healing.

What to Expect

Before treatment, your optometrist will examine your eyes and determine whether Amniotic Membrane Therapy is suitable for you.

  • Before Treatment: The eye is numbed with topical anesthetic drops, and the area is prepared.
  • Membrane Placement: The preserved and sterilized membrane is placed over the cornea.
  • After Placement: A special contact lens may be used to hold the membrane in place.
  • Post-Treatment Care: Antibiotic or anti-inflammatory eye drops may be prescribed when needed.
  • Follow-Up: Regular visits help monitor healing and the membrane’s absorption or integration.
Some patients may experience mild discomfort, a foreign body sensation, or temporary blurred vision after treatment. Improvement in symptoms may take anywhere from a few days to several weeks, depending on the individual.

Understanding Dry Eye and Your Treatment Options

Dry eye can develop for several reasons, and understanding the underlying cause is an important part of managing symptoms. Our team can assess your eyes and help develop a management plan based on your individual needs.

Common Symptoms of Dry Eye

Dry eye can affect both eyes and may cause different symptoms, including:

  • Stinging or Burning – A burning, stinging, or gritty feeling in the eyes.
  • Eye Redness – Red or irritated eyes.
  • Light Sensitivity – Increased sensitivity to light.
  • Excessive Watering – Eyes that water more than usual.
  • Blurred Vision or Eye Fatigue – Blurry vision or tired, strained eyes.
  • Foreign Body Sensation – A feeling that something is in your eye.

What Causes Dry Eye?

A healthy tear film has several components that work together to keep the surface of the eye comfortable and protected. Dry eye can occur when tear production decreases or when tears evaporate too quickly.

Several factors may contribute to dry eye, including:

  • Aging
  • Allergies
  • Hormonal changes
  • Eyelid problems
  • Gland dysfunction
  • Certain health conditions
  • Living in a dry climate
  • Extended screen time

One common factor is blockage of the Meibomian glands, which produce the lipid layer of the tear film. When these glands are not functioning properly, tear evaporation can increase and contribute to dry eye symptoms.

A Personalized Approach to Dry Eye Management

Managing dry eye involves more than simply using eye drops. Our team can help develop a personalized plan that may include targeted in-office treatments, nutritional guidance, and home care based on your needs. 

Home care may include:

  • Warm Compresses: Used as part of a regular eye-care routine.
  • Lid Hygiene: Keeping the eyelids and surrounding area clean.
  • Artificial Tears: May be recommended to help manage dryness and discomfort.

In-Office Treatment Options

For patients with more severe dry eye symptoms, targeted in-office treatments may be considered. Available options include:

  • Radiofrequency
  • Intense Pulsed Light Therapy (IPL)
  • LipiFlow Therapy

These treatments may be used as part of dry eye management for symptoms such as burning, itching, redness, and irritation. The appropriate approach depends on the underlying factors contributing to your symptoms.

Managing Your Dry Eye Symptoms

Dry eye can have several contributing factors, so treatment is not the same for everyone. A thorough assessment can help identify factors affecting your tear film and determine which management options may be appropriate.

If you are experiencing persistent dryness, irritation, redness, light sensitivity, or other symptoms, speak with our eye care team about your dry eye management options.

Deep Cleansing for Healthier Eyelids and Lashes

ZEST (Zocular Eyelid System Treatment) is an in-office eyelid cleaning and debridement treatment developed by Zocular®. It is designed to clean the eyelids and lashes while helping address concerns associated with dry eye, blepharitis, and demodex.

The treatment uses a natural, okra-based gel to remove oil, debris, and residue from the eyelid margins and lashes. By improving eyelid hygiene, ZEST can help reduce the buildup that may contribute to irritation and inflammation around the eyes.

What Is ZEST?

ZEST works like a deep cleansing treatment for the eyelids and lashes. During the procedure, the okra-based gel is applied along the eyelid margins and lashes using a cotton swab. The gel is gently worked into a lather using circular motions before being rinsed away with saline solution.
The gel contains a refined extract of okra, an edible green seed pod. According to the provided product information, okra helps lift and clear oil, debris, and residue while being gentle around the eye area.

How Can ZEST Help?

Keeping the eyelids, eyelid margins, and lashes clean is an important part of eye hygiene. Buildup along the eyelid edges can contribute to symptoms such as itching, burning, gritty sensations, redness, and irritation.

ZEST is designed to address this buildup through thorough cleansing and debridement.

  • Removes Debris: Helps clear dirt, oil, and residue from the eyelid margins and lashes.
  • Supports Eyelid Hygiene: Provides a deeper cleansing treatment than routine eyelid cleaning.
    Addresses Demodex: The treatment is designed to help remove demodex mites and associated debris.
  • Helps Reduce Inflammation: Cleansing the eyelid area may help address buildup associated with irritation and inflammation.
  • Supports Dry Eye Care: ZEST may help relieve symptoms associated with dry eye and poor eyelid hygiene.

ZEST for Dry Eye, Blepharitis, and Demodex

Dry eye and blepharitis can be associated with inadequate eyelid hygiene. Debris along the eyelid margins can enter the tear film with blinking, potentially contributing to redness and irritation.

Demodex mites can also be present in the hair follicles around the eyelashes. According to the provided information, they may contribute to inflammation and dry eye symptoms by blocking the oil glands at the base of the eyelashes.

ZEST provides targeted cleansing of the eyelid margins and lashes to help remove this buildup and address demodex-related concerns.

A Simple In-Office Treatment

The ZEST procedure is performed in the office and involves applying the cleansing gel to the eyelid margins and lashes, working it into a lather, and then rinsing the area with saline solution. The treatment is designed to provide thorough eyelid and lash cleansing without requiring a lengthy procedure.

Is ZEST Right for You?

ZEST may be considered for patients experiencing symptoms associated with dry eye, blepharitis, demodex, or eyelid debris. An eye care professional can assess your symptoms and determine whether ZEST is appropriate for your eye care needs.
587-317-2134