August 13, 2024

Does Your Child Need Multifocal Glasses?

Does your child experience any difficulties when reading? Do the words become blurry or doubled? Does your child find it challenging to clearly see objects at various distances? If so, they may need multifocals. While…
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Opto-Mization Optometry & Vision Therapy

Does your child experience any difficulties when reading? Do the words become blurry or doubled? Does your child find it challenging to clearly see objects at various distances? If so, they may need multifocals.

While most people think of multifocals as reading glasses for people over 40, who become farsighted as they age, children may also require multifocals for reading and schoolwork.

What Are Multifocal Glasses?

Multifocal glasses, or simply multifocals, contain a few distinct vision prescriptions: the bottom of the lens corrects near vision, while the middle section is focused for computer vision and top of the lens corrects distance vision.

Why Was My Child Prescribed Multifocals?

Multifocals are a great option for anyone who has any difficulty seeing both near and far or who struggles with visual problems, such as focusing difficulties or eye turns. Children are naturally far-sighted, so sometimes the eye crossing is due to problems with seeing things up close.

Multifocal lenses can help a child better focus in school and may alleviate eye strain, headaches, blurred vision and fatigue.

Children may need multifocals for the following reasons:

  • Inability to change focus quickly from one distance to another, which is a necessary skill when copying notes from a classroom board to a notebook.
  • Inadequate focusing power. In conditions such as lazy eye or eye turns, some children cannot attain close focus at all. As this problem progresses, the brain may eventually stop using the weaker eye.
  • Over-focusing problems–when the eyes work too hard–can cause additional stress on the eyes. This can lead to headaches, eye strain and even eye turns, resulting in double vision.

These days, one of the significant advantages of multifocals is that they’re available as progressive lenses specifically designed for children to wear. These lenses are free of the telltale line demarcating where one prescription ends and the other begins–so the lenses look like single-vision lenses.

Multifocals and Vision Therapy

If your child’s focusing problem is impacting their school performance, or if they have multiple vision problems, your eye doctor might recommend a vision therapy program in conjunction with multifocal lenses. Vision therapy is a customized program that helps children strengthen their visual skills by improving the communication between their eyes and brain. Vision therapy is an evidence-based program and can be critical to resolving any underlying visual problems affecting your child.

At Opto-Mization, we will examine your child’s eyes to assess which multifocal lenses and/or vision therapy program is most suitable for your child.

Our practice serves patients from Victoria, Nanaimo, Duncan, and Vancouver Island, British Columbia and surrounding communities.

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Our Victoria Practice
Opto-Mization Optometry & Vision Therapy
200-775 Topaz Ave
Victoria, BC V8T 4Z7
Phone
(250) 590-7384
Fax
250-412-6459
Email
(Do not send personal health information by email.)
  • Monday:
    8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
  • Tuesday:
    8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
  • Wednesday:
    8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
  • Thursday:
    8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
  • Friday:
    8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
  • Saturday:
    8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
  • Sunday:
    Closed
Rating
5.0
Out of 265 Reviews
Our Nanaimo Practice
Opto-Mization Optometry & Vision Therapy
205-1825 Bowen Rd
Nanaimo, BC V9S 1H1
Phone
(250) 591-0270
Fax
250-412-6459
Email
(Do not send personal health information by email.)
  • Monday:
    10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
  • Tuesday:
    10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
  • Wednesday:
    10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
  • Thursday:
    11:00 AM - 5:30 PM
  • Friday:
    9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
  • Saturday:
    Closed
  • Sunday:
    Closed
Rating
4.9
Out of 59 Reviews

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  • What is Neuro-Optometry?

    Neuro-Optometry focuses on the intricate connection between your visual system and the brain, extending beyond traditional eye care to assess functional vision. This branch of optometry examines how your eyes track, move, coordinate, and how your brain processes depth, motion, and balance. Disruptions in these functions can lead to a range of issues including headaches, migraines, dizziness, balance challenges, post-concussion symptoms, reading difficulties, and attention deficits (ADHD). By exploring these functional areas, we also identify opportunities to enhance performance in activities such as sports, reading speed, and cognitive processes.

  • What is Vision Therapy?

    At Opto-Mization, vision therapy is a specialized, personalized program aimed at improving visual skills and abilities. It goes beyond traditional vision therapy to help improve how the eyes and brain work together, addressing visual-motor and perceptual-cognitive challenges to enhance overall visual function. It’s more than just exercises; it’s a pathway to better vision and improved daily life.

  • Do you Provide Regular Eye Exams and General Optometric Services?

    Yes, alongside vision therapy and neuro-optometry, we offer comprehensive eye exams and general optometry services. Our experienced optometrists perform thorough eye exams to evaluate overall eye health, identify any eye conditions or diseases, and prescribe corrective lenses when beneficial.

  • Who is the Ideal Candidate for Vision Therapy and Neuro-Optometry?

    Vision therapy and neuro-optometric rehabilitation can help individuals of all ages. Whether you’re struggling with visual processing issues, binocular vision disorders, amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (eye misalignment), or have sustained a brain injury, our services might be beneficial for you. Contact us to discuss if our tailored approach can meet your specific needs and goals.

  • Do I Need a Referral to See an Optometrist at Opto-Mization?

    No, you do not need a referral for an eye exam at Opto-Mization. We welcome anyone who suspects they might benefit from our services, whether you’re experiencing symptoms of visual discomfort or just want to ensure optimal visual performance. Feel free to reach out and schedule your appointment directly with us to take the first step toward understanding and improving your visual function.

  • Do You Direct Bill Insurance?

    Yes, we offer direct billing for a variety of insurance plans to make the process as seamless and hassle-free as possible for our patients. Our knowledgeable staff is well-versed in working with insurance providers, ensuring that you can maximize your benefits while minimizing out-of-pocket expenses for our services, including vision therapy and eye exams.