Optometric Extension Program

The Optometric Extension Program Foundation (OEPF) is an international, non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the discipline of optometry through the gathering and dissemination of information on vision. The mission of OEPF is to advance human progress through research and education on vision, the visual process, and clinical care. The OEPF has been credited as furthering the post-graduate education of optometrists, with recent emphasis on behavioral optometry and vision therapy.[1] The OEPF produces the monthly OPTOMETRY & VISUAL PERFORMANCE (OVP) - JOURNAL as well as the former Journal of Behavioral Optometry. OEPF is the only optometric non profit organization that not only provides continues education through its education, regional congresses, seminars and workshops but only through its many original publications and research. OEPF also reprints writings and lectures relating to vision.

The OEP Foundation has its origins in a continuing education program developed by the Oklahoma Optometric Association for its members in the 1920s.[1] Optometrists E.B. Alexander (the secretary of the Oklahoma Extension Program) and A.M. Skeffington ("the father of behavioral optometry") have been credited as establishing the OEP Foundation in 1928.[2] [3][4] The OEP Foundation began with 51 members and has developed into an international organization with 3,500 members worldwide.[2][3]

About OEP Foundation and Vision and Behavioral Optometry

Background

Vision disorders are one of the most under-diagnosed yet common conditions in the World today. Vision therapy is a result of modern medicine that offers numerous strategies to ease or possibly alleviate these vision disorders that can affect every aspect of life, from driving to learning and socializing.

Definition

Vision therapy is a treatment developed by optometrists, who specialize in how vision is used, known as behavioral optometry or developmental optometry. This is different than the standard optometrist, who identifies and corrects defects in acuity (clarity) and looks at basic eye health – mostly known as “20/20” vision.

Optometry looks at eyes that are otherwise healthy, but function poorly due to disruptions in development or brain injury, this is different from Ophthalmology, which is a specialty that focuses on pathology (disease) of the eye. Because the brain tells the eyes what to do, vision can be poor even when standard eye tests have found nothing wrong. Vision therapy is a non-invasive and proven effective option in addressing a variety of vision issues, including eye turn, “lazy eye” (amblyopia), convergence insufficiency, double vision, and more. There are numerous benefits to vision therapy, and it can be used to treat a wide variety of disorders, including:

  • Strabismus
  • Amblyopia
  • Ocular-Motor (“eye teaming”) Dysfunctions
  • Visual-Perceptual (“eye-brain” coordination) Disorder

Symptoms of Vision Disorders

Blurred vision, sleepiness when reading, reluctance to drive, covering one eye, head tilt, blind spots, floaters, double vision, dizziness, problems with depth perception, poor memory, needing to re-read frequently, and problems with eye tracking all could potentially indicate a vision disorder. Left untreated, symptoms can cause frustration, anxiety, fatigue, and lower quality of life.

Diagnosis

The first step towards determining if you or a child may benefit from vision therapy is a full eye exam by a licensed provider. These exams go beyond the standard “20/20″ exam in order to find potential problems in how the brain processes information from the eyes, rather than only testing the physical capability of the eyes to see. This can uncover issues that would be missed in most standard vision exams. The comprehensive exam includes close vision acuity, color blindness, how well the eyes team together, how well they make the transition from near to far, tracking and focus, eye movement skills, vision-vestibular integration, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, primitive reflexes, and more.

To learn more about the education of Vision Therapy and OEPF's research in this field, please consult our other website pages.

See also
  • College of Optometrists in Vision Development

References
  1. David A. Goss. "History of Optometry." Web posted lecture handout. Accessed September 19, 2006.
  2. http://www.opt.indiana.edu/ohs/sample.htm Archived 2006-09-18 at the Wayback Machine Hindsight: Newsletter of the Optometric Historical Society. Vol. 29, Jul. 1998, No. 3. Accessed September 19, 2006.
  3. "A.M. Skeffington, O.D.: The Father of Behavioral Optometry." Archived 2006-10-17 at the Wayback Machine Visionaries (Reprinted from January-December 1991 Issues of Review of Optometry) Copyright 1999 Review of Optometry. Accessed September 19, 2006.
  4. "Team of the Century. Oklahoma Association of Optometric Physicians. Accessed September 19, 2006. [Note: This reference credits E.B. Alexander and Billy Farmer as co-founders of the optometric extension program.]


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