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Optometry is a healthcare specialty that deals with eyes and vision. We usually think about optometry when dealing with eye exams or conditions such as astigmatism or dry eye. Perhaps you visit your optometrist to resolve your issue by obtaining a prescription for corrective lenses. But what if your eyesight issues are actually related to underlying issues like visual perception, coordination, or challenges with eye focus?
According to behavioral optometry, vision is much more about how we move and respond to our environments, and what that says about our personalities. Want to know more? Click through the gallery.
Many of us have visited or will likely one day have to visit an optometrist, whether for a general checkup or because of pesky symptoms.
A traditional optometrist will likely conduct basic tests to get a general sense of your eye health. A vision test is quite standard and you’ll likely leave the appointment with some sort of number that indicates how well you can see.
Globally, over half of the world’s population wears glasses. At least 2.2 billion people have some sort of alternation in their near or distance vision. In the US alone, 66% of people use corrective glasses, lenses, or have sought surgery to address the issue.
Behavioral optometry takes conventional eye care to a new level. According to Behavioral Optometrist Dr. Marni Bessler, behavioral optometry is “how we take in information.”
While a consultation will begin with a routine examination, there is also a behavioral analysis that attempts to determine how your vision may be impacting your behavior.
This fascinating take on optometry is a much more in-depth look at vision. Have you suffered from a concussion? Do you have a history of autoimmune disease? Are there activities that you actively avoid? These are some of the questions a behavioral optometrist may ask you.
The exam may also include an analysis to determine if you use one eye more than the other by undergoing a vision "stress test," or even taking a look at your posture and how that could be affecting your vision.
A behavioral optometrist will try to gain a holistic understanding of how you perceive space. The perception we gain from our vision tells our brain not just what things are, but where they are, and “how to anticipate the changing world around us.”
While the relationship between vision and the brain is fascinating, it is also how we use this information that is deeply insightful and informative for behavioral optometrists.
The personality component of the exam's conclusions isn’t part of a psychiatric analysis. Instead, it's a set of conclusions that the behavior optometrist can suggest based on how a patient's eyes react to specific stimuli.
According to herbalist and founder of Organic Olivia, Olivia Amitrano, one significant personality trait that a behavioral optometry exam can suggest is whether a patient is a peripheral or a focused person.
A peripheral person may excel in looking at the big picture, while a focused person may be so zoomed into the details that they are unable to see the larger context. Some people can be a mix of both.
From a behavioral optometry perspective, vision issues can be caused by a number of conditions. Firstly, there is the genetic component, as well as certain complications during gestation or birth.
Other issues may emerge within very early childhood. Over the years, we may also develop some bad habits with our vision that start when we're just infants.
Bessler says our increased use of screens is also a huge factor in our visual systems. Many of us spend our days staring at our screens.
Screen-filled days don’t allow our brains the peripheral vision they crave, leading to a narrowing of our vision on a daily basis.
Outside of screen time, when our peripheral vision is being activated after a period of narrowed vision, movements, light, and quick-moving objects can actually cause us anxiety.
Being in this fight-or-flight mode, in which our nervous systems are under stress because of the lack of peripheral stimuli throughout the day, is provoking issues well beyond just vision.
Doctors like Bessler use tools to help “shift light perception.” Using prisms added to glasses, this tool can take some of the stress off your visual system, forcing you to expand your worldview.
For those who are too focused on the peripheral, they can also provoke the opposite effect, helping you focus on the details.
These prisms aren’t meant to be something you use continuously but rather should be viewed as a therapeutic rehabilitation tool that should be used to improve, or rather retrain, your sight.
The goal of the prisms is to incite a shift in how your eyes look at things and engage with the peripheral, as well as the minute, to achieve an ideal balance.
Amitrano also cites a practice called the 20-20-20 rule as a habitual tool to regularly engage your peripheral vision.
The 20-20-20 rule asks that every 20 minutes, you look at least 20 feet (about six meters) away, for a minimum of 20 seconds at a time. This is a regular practice you can do when you’re staring at a screen.
Bessler adds to the 20-20-20 rule that you should also try to get some fresh air by taking a walk. This kind of activity really helps you to expand your vision, even for just a short time.
If you manage to take a stroll, try to actively use your peripheral vision. For example, if you’re just in your local neighborhood, you can look straight ahead and try to count the cars you can see in your peripheral view.
This kind of approach to vision care can not only improve the functional aspects of vision and eye health, but also help to change the way you engage with the world.
Improvements in academic performance and learning processes, sports activities, and even workplace productivity can be enhanced by addressing visual issues through a behavioral optometry approach.
Behavioral optometry isn’t just for adults. Children with learning challenges or different conditions can also benefit from a consult. Writers, computer programs, and other professionals who spend long periods of time working on screens can also benefit.
Sources: (Overnight Glasses) (Organic Olivia) (Milton Eye and Vision Care)
See also: Sjögren's syndrome: can it be the cause of your dry eyes and mouth?
Behavioral optometry: the link between eyesight and worldview
The relationship between vision and the brain
HEALTH Brain
Optometry is a healthcare specialty that deals with eyes and vision. We usually think about optometry when dealing with eye exams or conditions such as astigmatism or dry eye. Perhaps you visit your optometrist to resolve your issue by obtaining a prescription for corrective lenses. But what if your eyesight issues are actually related to underlying issues like visual perception, coordination, or challenges with eye focus?
According to behavioral optometry, vision is much more about how we move and respond to our environments, and what that says about our personalities. Want to know more? Click through the gallery.