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Vision Therapy Eyecenter Optometric

Citrus Heights

Vision Therapy

EYEcenter Optometric | Vision Therapy Services in Citrus Heights, CA

Even if your child has 20/20 eyesight, a vision issue could be the cause of their learning difficulties. By combining doctor prescribed exercises with the latest technology and a caring team of specialists, EYEcenter’s vision therapy program addresses issues with links between the eyes and brain that affect learning and comprehension. You’ll have the tools you need to boost your child’s visual performance, enhance their confidence, and get them back on track for success.

Proudly serving the Sacramento Valley!

Common Symptoms:

  • Smart in everything but school
  • Frequently loses place or skips words when reading
  • Squinting, eye rubbing or excessive blinking
  • Headaches, dizziness or nausea after reading
  • Short attention span
  • Fatigue, frustration or stress doing schoolwork
  • Labeled dyslexic/ADD/behavioral problem
  • Poor reading comprehension or fluency
  • Difficulty copying from the board
  • Double vision/images go “in and out” of focus

Who can benefit from vision therapy?
An effective method of treatment for patients of all ages and for many conditions that affect the visual system, including but not limited to:

  • Oculomotor dysfunction (eye movement disorders)
  • Accommodative disorders (eye focusing disorders)
  • Non-strabismic binocular disorders (eye teaming disorders)
  • Strabismus (crossed eyes)
  • Amblyopia (lazy eye)
  • Visual sequelae of acquired brain injury (stroke or concussion)
  • Visual information processing disorders

These vision problems are treatable!

Does your child fit any of the above symptoms? Take our Vision Therapy Assessment here!

What does a functional vision issue look like? The symptoms above stem from issues with the following:

  • Eye focusing – Blurred vision or ability to shift focus between objects between near and far distances may be compromised.
    Accommodation blur2
  • Eye teaming – Your eyes may not work together properly as a team even to the point of experiencing double or very blurry vision.Double vision 2
  • Eye movements – You may experience difficulty with eye movements when reading or trying to follow a moving object (like a ball being thrown). Losing your place while reading is a common complaint.
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Doctors at Eye Center Optometric

The vision therapy department has been an established part of EYEcenter for over fifty years. We receive referrals from many professionals, including optometrists, physicians, psychologists, educators and rehabilitation specialists for the diagnosis and treatment of conditions in the following areas: eye muscle weaknesses including tracking, eye alignment and focusing; visual information processing; and vision-related learning issues.

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Contrary to popular notion, vision and sight are not one in the same. Sight is how clearly you see at various distances, ie "20/20," and vision refers to what does your brain do with what it sees. Since reading is the process by which all other subjects are learned, it is critically important for both vision and sight to be in correct working order. 20/20 only tells you part of the story--in order to evaluate your child's full visual system, they should have a specialized eye exam by a developmental optometrist. Read More

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Approximately 2/3 of our patients are referred to us by teachers, learning disability specialists, and other educators. The other third are patients that come into our practice on their own. We have a standardized questionnaire called CISS (conversion insufficiency signs and symptoms).

All parents of children 18 years of age and younger are given this questionnaire so we can pinpoint those kids who are having problems. A score of 15 or less on that questionnaire is considered normal. A score of 16-20 is borderline. This is a child who needs to be monitored for frustration with reading and learning. Any score above 20 means the child's vision is definitely adversely impacting their ability to read and learn. Read More

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The benefits are life-changing. Just a few weeks ago I had a parent come in and say “I am bringing my grandson in to see you for vision therapy. You did such wonderful work with my son 25 years ago and it was a turning point in his life in fourth grade. He was a non-reader and hated reading. Today he is a practicing physician. I want you to check my grandson. I told her that I was so happy I had a positive influence on your son. She responded “No, you don’t understand. That was the tipping point for him. He hating reading and therefore hated school, and was very frustrated. After vision therapy, he started picking up reading, really enjoying it, and ended up going to med school!” Read More

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People of all ages utilize the rehabilitative benefits of vision therapy after sustaining trauma.

EYEcenter is proud to partner with RightEye, click here to learn more

Meet The Vision Therapy Team

Dr Fuerst

Randy Fuerst OD, FAAO

Judy Robbins
Shirlene Fuerst
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What is Vivid Vision?

Betsy Yaros struggled with lazy eye her entire life. Now an art professor, her lazy eye gave her problems at work. That is until she started using Vivid Vision with Dr. Nathan Bonilla-Warford of Bright Eyes Family Vision Care in Tampa, FL. After working with Dr. Bonilla-Warford using Vivid Vision in his eye clinic, Betsy was able to gain 3D vision for the first time in her life. Watch the video to hear the full story. ”

Send me more information on Vivid Vision

Play exciting virtual reality games to treat lazy eye

  • Designed for amblyopia, strabismus, and convergence disorders
  • Designed for all ages — both kids and adults
  • Use conveniently at EYEcenter under doctor supervision
  • Interactive and exciting exercises and vision assessments

They have changed my daughter’s life!

“Dr. Randy was so amazing when I brought in my dyslexic daughter who was having trouble in school…trouble reading, writing, copying from the board, using a computer, etc.

He referred us to Shirlene who facilitated vision therapy for my daughter due to tracking issues, binocular fusion problems and focus issues. After a few months, she is reading…whole books…by herself! The strain that came with reading is almost completely gone.

Anytime I needed help at home with our exercises, Shirlene was there for us. She wrote encouraging notes, and celebrated our successes with us. She is so genuine and kind! I am beyond thankful for Eyecenter. They have changed my daughter’s life! She loves reading! Thank you!!”

-Cher E.

Office Hours & Locations

Vision Therapy Clinic at our Citrus Heights Location!

EYEcenter Optometric

5959 Greenback Ln Suite 120 & 130
Citrus Heights, CA 95621
  • 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
  • 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
  • 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
  • 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
  • 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM
  • 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
  • Closed
Read More

We treat children & adults! Book an exam today!

Citrus Heights
916-827-4771

  • Vivid Vision uses virtual reality headsets like the Rift, HTC Vive, and DPVR P1 Pro to treat binocular vision issues like amblyopia, strabismus, and vergence disorders.
  • The Dynavision D2™ has been recognized as the premier attention task recorder for reporting accurate eye-hand coordination measures as well as visual and motor reaction times for over 25 years!
  • The Senaptec Sensory Station is a state-of-art sensory evaluation & training station which assesses 10 visual and sensorimotor skills. In less than 25 minutes, you can determine an individual’s strengths and opportunities to improve sensory performance.
  • RightEye is computer-based eye-tracking software and equipment. At EYEcenter Optometric, we use it to detect muscle imbalances and diagnose how the eyes are tracking.
  • Vision Therapy For Menieres Disease Thumbnail.jpg
    Meniere’s disease, a vestibular problem, can be exacerbated by issues related to the visual system. Vision therapy can help reduce dizziness related to visual dysfunction and offer some relief to patients suffering from Meniere’s disease.
  • Does Your Child Have Dyslexia Thumbnail.jpg
    Dyslexia causes children and adults to struggle with reading, writing and speaking, which in turn leads to learning difficulties. But are these learning difficulties caused by dyslexia or a vision problem — or both? And can they be treated by an optometrist?
  • Who is a Candidate for Vision Therapy Thumbnail.jpg
    Having good visual skills is the key to being able to read, play sports, and perform many other tasks, but even people with excellent eyesight may lack vision skills. That’s where vision therapy can help.
  • child at the school Thumbnail.jpg
    Beginning in adolescence and through their early 20s, young people should undergo annual functional eye exams that assess the visual skills necessary to succeed in school, sports, and everyday life. The start of the new school year is a good time to get these visual skills checked.
  • Vision Therapy for Adult Thumbnail.png
    To succeed in most professions, one needs to have strong visual skills. If these skills are deficient in any way, performance can be adversely affected. Fortunately, vision therapy can help.
  • Prism Lenses Thumbnail.jpg
    Prism eyeglasses are worn to correct double vision. Prisms also are used in vision therapy, which is made up of a series of eye exercises to help the eyes and brain communicate more efficiently to alleviate double vision and other conditions.
  • Nystagmus and Vision Therapy Thumbnail.jpg
    Nystagmus is a complex optical condition that causes involuntary eye movements and blurred vision. Fortunately, vision therapy can help.
  • Vision Therapy for Anisometropia Thumbnail.jpg
    People with anisometropia experience blurred vision because each of their eyes refracts a different amount of light. Left unaddressed, one eye becomes significantly weaker than the other, potentially leading to permanent vision loss. Vision therapy addresses anisometropia and strengthens the weaker eye.
  • Retained Primitive Reflexes and Vision Thumbnail.jpg
    Primitive reflexes are essential for the brain to develop. They start in utero and continue to develop as a child grows. However, retained primitive reflexes can result either from a problem at birth or during the first initial months of life. Vision therapy can help resolve retained primitive reflexes.
  • Does Your Child Really Need Bifocal Glasses Thumbnail.jpg
    Multifocals are not just for people over the age of 40. Children sometimes need them too. Multifocals may help them to keep focus in school and may alleviate eye strain, headaches, blurred vision, and fatigue.
  • Third Cranial Nerve Palsy Thumbnail.jpg
    When the third cranial nerve is damaged it can affect how your eye functions, leaving your eye unable to control specific actions. Learn about third cranial nerve palsy and how it can be treated.
  • Anomalous Retinal Correspondence Thumbnail.jpg
    Anomalous retinal correspondence (ARC) is a binocular condition often associated with strabismus (eye turn). Learn about ARC and how it can be treated.
  • Dissociated Vertical Deviation Thumbnail.jpg
    Dissociated vertical deviation (DVD) is characterized by a slow upward drifting of one eye when the patient fixates with the other eye. Learn more about DVD and find out how vision therapy treats this condition.
  • brock string exercise Thumbnail.jpg
    Vision therapy uses different types of exercises to strengthen lagging visual skills. The Brock string exercise is commonly used to treat convergence insufficiency, amblyopia (lazy eye) and strabismus (eye turn).
  • Symptoms Indicating A Visual Efficiency Problem Thumbnail.jpg
    Poor visual skills can affect many areas of life and can negatively impact performance at school, the office and on the sports field. Read on to find out the most common visual efficiency problems, and how vision therapy can help.
  • Between 15-18% of kids have a visual processing difficulty which adversely affects their ability to read and learn in school.
  • Use our symptom checklist below to find out if a vision therapy evaluation is right for you.
  • A child who had difficulty reading and learning at school may have a vision issue. Such a child should undergo an in-depth eye health and vision evaluation. The eye exam should be targeted at various categories of vision development which can be connected with learning, reading, and writing problems.
  • Vision Therapy for Amblyopia Thumbnail.jpg
    Amblyopia or “lazy eye” is a neuro-developmental vision condition that begins in early childhood.
  • There are optometrists, and there are optometrists. Like other fields of medicine, there are different standards of care, knowledge, and expertise in the area of optometry.
  • patching lazy eye.jpg
    Amblyopia, commonly referred to as Lazy Eye, occurs when the brain and the eye are not working in unison, resulting in decreased vision in an eye that otherwise seems healthy. The only treatment available which treats the amblyopia and not just the symptoms is Vision Therapy, also called Development Optometry.
  • Learning is 80% or more visual. Reading, writing, spelling, computer work, and seeing the board are all learning tasks that our children are required to perform in order to achieve success at school.
  • Contrary to what you might think, it is the brain, and not the eyes, that is the key to seeing well.
  • Use our symptom checklist below to find out if a vision therapy evaluation is right for you.
  • An individualized program of eye exercises and other methods can treat non-refractive vision problems such as eye alignment and lazy eye.
  • Dr. Fuerst answers many of your questions about Vision Therapy, the methodology, the process and the steps to get started.
  • Vision Therapy for Kids Thumbnail.jpg
    Studies show that children with vision problems are twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADD or ADHD as compared to their peers. Learn how vision therapy can help maximize your child's visual skills to reach their full potential.
  • chess thumbnail.jpg
    Approximately 60% of stroke survivors develop some form of visual impairment, including diminished central or peripheral vision, eye movement abnormalities, or visual perceptual defects. Focus, double vision, balance, visual memory, and depth perception are all affected. A neuro-optometrist can help rehabilitate any of these and other resultant visual aberrations.
  • Children at school Thumbnail.jpg
    Undiagnosed vision problems are at times at the root or an overlooked component of a child’s diagnosis with ADD/ADHD or a learning disability. By undergoing a thorough eye evaluation, you may discover that the issue is, in fact, a functional vision problem. Fortunately, this can be corrected with a highly effective vision therapy program.
  • Functional Vision Exam Thumbnail.jpg
    Just because someone has 20/20 vision, doesn't mean that they can see well. A large percentage of students pass vision screenings with flying colors, yet still experience serious functional vision issues impacting development, life functions and learning. Only a Functional Vision Exam can evaluate whether all essential visual skills are working correctly.
  • Thumbnail Kids.jpg
    Keep Up-To-Date with our Vision Therapy Blog!
  • Vision Therapy Can Improve Reading Skills In Children Thumbnail.jpg
    By training the eyes and brain to seamlessly work together, vision therapy effectively treats visual dysfunctions that interfere with a child’s reading and learning abilities.
  • strabismus Thumbnail.jpg
    Strabismus, also known as an “eye turn” or “cross-eye”, is a condition characterized by the improper alignment of the eyes. Vision therapy effectively treats this condition by teaching the brain and eyes to work together to correct the eye misalignment and thus achieve clear and comfortable vision.
  • Convergence Insufficiency Thumbnail.jpg
    Children often struggle with learning and sports as a result of undiagnosed vision problems — most commonly Convergence Insufficiency (CI). CI has been shown to affect a child’s reading ability, attention and overall school performance. Learn how vision therapy can treat this condition thereby leading to more success in school, work and in sports.
  • down syndrome thumbnail.jpg
    Those with Down syndrome (DS) can experience a range of visual problems and disorders, and can be at risk of developing vision-robbing ocular diseases, such as glaucoma. Read on to learn more and find out how vision therapy can help.
  • thumbnail Female Child Looking Upward 1280×480 1.jpg
    Those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can experience a range of visual problems and disorders, such as lazy eye, strabismus, light sensitivity, and the inability to track moving objects, among others. Read on to learn more and how vision therapy can help.

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