FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Vision therapy is highly effective non-surgical treatment for many common visual problems such as lazy eye (including amblyopia and/or strabismus), double vision, convergence insufficiency, and other visual problems that can cause reading and learning difficulties. Most of our patients in therapy have "20/20 vision" and have passed every vision screening they've been given. While this may sound surprising, most people don't think about vision as a problem associated with schoolwork frustration, poor coordination, and headaches.

We see a variety of patients, from school age children to adults!

No. It is always best to obtain the care you need from someone who specializes in the area of concern. Dr. Ryan is fellowship-trained in developmental optometry from the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD), the international certifying board for doctors who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of vision-based learning problems, including strabismus and amblyopia, for children and adults. He is passionate about helping patients of all ages meet their visual needs and help them perform at their best, symptom-free.

Before we can start a unit of therapy, we need a complete set of data to assess a patient’s visual strengths and weaknesses, and to fully understand what areas are problematic. This will help us develop a plan which will specifically address each individual’s needs. The pre-testing is a separate component from the vision therapy unit and has a separate fee associated with it.

We will do our best to try schedule your testing efficiently, but please understand that your insurance may require it to be split up over several days. Testing includes 30 minutes with Dr. Ryan and 1 hour with our staff. There is also a consultation with Dr. Ryan at the end of testing to go over the results, answer any questions, and generate a plan for the patient.

Patients who have not had a recent eye exam at our office will need to schedule one prior to pre-testing. This will ensure that there is in fact a need for Vision Therapy. If you are referred by another optometrist or ophthalmologist, you will not need another eye exam.

Typically, a vision therapy unit consists of a daily home therapy component, in-office therapy for 30 minutes once per week for 10 weeks, and post-testing. The in-office therapy consists of a variety of activities to help patients develop or improve fundamental visual skills and abilities; improve visual comfort, ease, and efficiency; and/or change how a patient processes or interprets visual information. The home therapy is completed via a computer, worksheets, and games. Home therapy is typically done twice per day.

We do offer a limited number of after school time slots, and these slots often fill up quickly. More than 50% of our kids in therapy will have to miss at least some school, and most schools will allow a modified schedule for these 10 weeks to accommodate the therapy.

The cost of a unit of vision therapy varies depending on your insurance and your schedule. Please contact our office for more information.

Many insurance companies will cover a portion of pre-testing and post-testing, although it is often applied to deductibles. See our "Insurance & Billing" tab for more information.

We do accept Medicare and Medicaid. Feel free to call the office with questions. We can give typical coverage information over the phone, but it is not a guarantee of individual coverage.

Yes! Ask a staff member for more information.

We offer discounted fees on our exams and testing for patients without insurance. We also offer a discount on Vision Therapy to cash-paying patients who pay for their unit up front.

If you don’t have an insurance benefit, you will need to pay for all pre-testing fees before scheduling your unit. We will not be able to schedule your therapy visits until this has been paid. If we are billing insurance, you have the option of pay a portion of the fees up front, or you can sign an agreement that your portion of the fees will be automatically added to your payment plan on file.

At Lumen Vision, we like to reward the hard work our patients are doing to help themselves achieve their visual goals. If you successfully complete your home therapy and complete the requirements outlined in our Vision Therapy Scholarship document, you will be rewarded with a $50 check. All patients under 18 years old are eligible, so work hard in therapy and earn some money!