We Go Beyond 20/20!
Good vision happens in a person’s brain/mind/body, not just in a set of eyeballs! Dr. Hans F. Lessmann will examine and test the entire visual system of the whole person in order to determine the very best prescription and/or the most holistic vision care solution.
Our Vision Exam Tests Your Total Vision and Other Health Factors
Our vision exam will evaluate your total visual function as well as your eye health. Did you know that your eye health can tell us a lot about your overall health? Just one example: eye doctors can learn about a person’s overall cardiovascular health by examining the retina. So, while poets say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, optometrists say that the eyes are the windows to the brain and the body.
Testing for More than 20/20 Eyesight
20/20 just means that the person can clearly see a certain letter on the standard eye chart (equivalent to what a person with normal vision should be able to see at 20 feet). There’s so much more to healthy vision than 20/20! Our comprehensive vision exam goes beyond 20/20 to evaluate many important visual skills, such as:
- Visual Acuity at Near (Clear Vision) Is vision clear and single at close distances? Clear sight at short distances is critical to reading, writing, close work, computer use, etc.
- Eye Focusing Skills Do the eyes maintain clear vision at varying distances? Rapid, automatic eye focus adjustment is critical to learning, reading, writing, sports, etc. Deficiencies can cause visual fatigue, reduced reading comprehension, and/or avoidance of close work or other activities.
- Eye Tracking and Eye Movement Skills Do the two eyes aim, move, and work as a coordinated team? Weaknesses in eye movement and eye tracking skills can cause numerous difficulties, including reading avoidance and/or poor reading skills, speed, concentration, and comprehension.
- Convergence Eye Tests / Eye Teaming / Depth Perception / Binocular Vision Tests Weaknesses in binocular (two-eyed) vision and eye teaming skills can cause numerous difficulties, including convergence insufficiency and poor depth perception.
- Eye Movement Skills Do eye movements show adequate muscle control, tracking, fixation, etc.? In the classroom, normal eye movements allow rapid and accurate shifting of the eyes along with a line of print or from book to desk to board, etc. In sports, efficient eye movements contribute to eye-hand coordination, visual reaction time, and accurate tracking.
- Reversal Frequency Is your child’s confusion or reversal of letters or words (b, d; p, q; saw, was; etc.) within the normal ranges for a given age? Past the age of seven, frequent visual and written reversals might indicate a visual perceptual dysfunction. Our comprehensive vision exam includes a complete visual skills evaluation which will determine whether your child’s letter reversals are developmentally appropriate or are an indication of underlying visual perceptual processing issues.
- Color Perception Color blindness affects 1 out of every 12 men in the United States and normal color vision is a requirement for some occupations. Know you or your family member’s status and options early. Our comprehensive vision exam includes a complete visual skills evaluation which will determine whether color perception abnormalities or color blindness are present.
Children Vision Exams
The American Optometric Association recommends that pre-school children receive a complete vision exam at the ages of six months, three years and five years. It is particularly important that a child have a complete evaluation in the summer prior to entry into Kindergarten. While in school, yearly evaluations are recommended.
Vision Exams for Adults
The American Optometric Association recommends a yearly vision exam for adults — not only to detect and to diagnose vision changes or problems — but also to maintain eye health and monitor overall health. For example, glaucoma, a disease caused by increased pressure in the eye, commonly goes unnoticed by adults. Regular vision examinations are also important for the prevention of vision problems created or aggravated by today’s academic and professional demands.
Lazy Eye Tests (Amblyopia)
Specialized lazy eye tests for amblyopia are an important part of every infant’s or child’s first vision exam. A standard vision exam will not detect this serious vision impairment that affects 2 to 3 percent of all children. Getting the right testing for lazy eye is crucial.
We are experts in the testing and treatment of all types of binocular vision conditions, including lazy eye (amblyopia).
NOTE: other binocular vision impairments, such as Strabismus or Convergence Insufficiency can cause or be mistaken for lazy eye. However, lazy eye is its own medical diagnosis and is not the same as a diagnosis of Strabismus or Convergence Insufficiency.
Strabismus Vision Exams
Our vision examinations include special testing for the presence of strabismus because a standard vision screening or exam often does not test for problems with binocular vision (two-eyed vision), such as strabismus. Also, some types of eye turns are not easily seen in a mirror or by the untrained eye of an outsider.
Vision Exams for Sensory Processing Disorders (SPD)
Individuals with sensory processing disorders need special vision exams because they often present with healthy eyes, 20/20 eyesight, and normal depth perception but still have faulty visual processing, eye tracking, eye teaming, or other undetected vision problems that interfere with successful reading, learning, and sports participation, etc. Testing methods for evaluating the vision of a person with Sensory Processing Disorders will vary based on the person’s levels of physical, emotional, and cognitive development. Our eye doctor is a developmental optometrist who is very experienced in adapting the testing situation to the individual’s capabilities.
Not all optometrists or eye doctors provide in-depth testing for the developmental and functional visual difficulties that can come with Sensory Processing Disorders. And not all offer the relevant treatment, such as Vision Therapy. We are developmental vision specialists and this area is one of our specialties.
Find out about Sensory Processing Disorder and Vision Therapy.
Nonverbal Learning Disorders (NLD)
Our practice is experienced in testing and treating children and adults with Nonverbal Learning Disorders. As described in Sensory Processing Disorder above, these patients often have healthy eyes, 20/20 eyesight, and normal depth perception but still have visual processing, learning, and sensory problems that can be helped with corrective lenses and/or Vision Therapy.
Learn more about Vision Therapy for Sensory Processing Disorders.
Concussion & Traumatic Brain Injury Vision Tests
A medical doctor trained EMS, or sports professional can give a basic concussion eye test in the field following a traumatic brain injury. This quick eye test makes a rough assessment of the extent of the brain injury and to determine if there is a need for emergency medical care or discontinuance of play. This is not a substitute for a comprehensive vision evaluation by an eye doctor. Concussions and other types of traumatic brain injuries can affect many aspects of vision which can, in turn, negatively impact many areas of life, such as balance, gait, coordination, reading and learning abilities, memory, life skills, etc. It is important to have a vision specialist evaluate the injured person after any type of head or brain injury. We are specialists in neuro-optometric vision testing and rehabilitation.
Learn about Vision Rehabilitation of Traumatic and Acquired Brain Injury TBI