vision training in Grande Prairie

What is vision training?

Vision training is a doctor-supervised program designed to improve the function of the visual system. It is a sequence of neurosensory and neuromuscular activities individually prescribed and monitored by a doctor to develop, rehabilitate, and enhance visual skills and processing.

Most people think perfect vision means you can see the 20/20 line on the chart. However, visual acuity is only one of over 17 different skills we use while reading, learning and in everyday life. Vision is a very complex process that involves eye teaming, eye tracking, accommodation and processing of visual information. Many adults and children have deficits in the visual skills that make life more difficult than it needs to be. These vision problems are commonly overlooked. At Aurora Eye Care we can assess and treat these visual skill deficits with vision training.

After participating in vision training, our patients typically demonstrate improved visual function, visual comfort, reading ability, attention and concentration, work and sport performance. Vision training improves our patient’s quality of life in many ways, including their confidence!

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visit Aurora Eye Care’s vision training clinic in Grande Prairie

At Aurora Eye Care’s vision training clinic in Grande Prairie, we pride ourselves on truly getting to know our patients, ensuring an engaging and friendly environment where your vision goals can become a reality. Our team is dedicated to enhancing your visual experience through personalized and comprehensive care.

take our vision training quiz

For myself

For my child

Dr. Charlotte Forgie, FOVDR

grew up in Peace River & attended the University of Alberta

“I discovered behavioral optometry during my first year of optometry school and immediately fell in love with it.

I attended Pacific University, where the curriculum heavily emphasized developmental optometry, vision training, and vision rehabilitation. During my fourth-year rotations, I had the opportunity to focus on vision development and therapy at clinics specializing in these fields.

I then completed a residency at a private practice dedicated to vision training and rehabilitation, where I worked extensively with patients recovering from concussions. There, I honed my skills in using specialized tools, such as yoked prisms, which can dramatically reduce symptoms and improve the quality of life for these patients. After my residency, I joined Aurora Eye Care and took over the Vision Training department.

In 2022, I earned my fellowship, which involved writing papers, oral and written exams, and a comprehensive process. This achievement means I am board certified in diagnosing and treating vision problems that impact reading, learning, and post-concussion vision syndrome. I am a Fellow of Optometric Vision Development and Rehabilitation (FOVDR).

Since then, I have continued to deepen my knowledge of techniques and treatment protocols to better serve my patients. Vision training can often help people in ways that no other profession can, and my passion is changing lives through their visual systems, something we do every day.”

who can benefit from vision training?

we customize the vision training program for children and adults

Vision training is quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to strengthen the relationship between the eyes and brain, and children and adults are seeing the benefits of these programs.

At Aurora Eye Care, we customize your vision training plan to fit your individual needs. We look at the various visual issues you might be struggling with and create a personalized program using several techniques, including computer programs, games, lenses, and patches.

Ideal for children facing learning challenges or adults experiencing visual strain, our visual training sessions are tailored to each patient’s unique needs. The goal of Aurora’s vision training services in Grande Prairie is to help transform the way you see the world.

vision problems in children: Some of the most common issues vision therapy can help address include:

Lazy eye

Crossed eyes

Nearsightedness

Binocular vision problems

Reading difficulties & delays
vision training for traumatic brain injuries in adults: Adults can also experience problems with their vision, especially after experiencing a traumatic event that could impact their brain function. These can include:

Strokes

Concussions

Traumatic brain injuries

Vision is processed in many parts of the brain. Therefore injury to the brain can cause deficits in visual skills that were previously well developed. Common symptoms of vision problems after a brain injury are headaches, nausea, dizziness, difficulty in visually busy environments, light sensitivity, blurry and double vision.

Vision rehabilitation is a powerful tool in helping patients regain their pre-injury productivity.

vision and learning have an important connection

vision training for better learning

We use our eyes every day to take in the world around us, and a lot of that time is spent learning new things. Considering that 80% of learning is visual, having a strong connection between your eyes and your brain will help you achieve your best potential, no matter your age.

Aurora Eye Care offers caring and comprehensive vision training in the Peace Region. Start by booking your routine eye exam and let our optometrists help you determine if vision training can help improve your outlook on life.

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how vision training helps

A solid foundation of visual skills is essential for establishing a healthy connection between the eyes and the brain.

When your eyes and your brain are “speaking the same language,” or rather, working together to convey the image you see, you can focus more on your schoolwork, career, sports, and recreational activities.

Determining your vision issues with a comprehensive eye exam

Before determining your or your child’s issues, we’ll perform a comprehensive eye exam.

Eye exams are very important to ensure the eyes are very healthy and have the best glasses prescription possible (if necessary). Within that visit, your Grande Prairie optometrist will test a range of visual skills and take an in depth history to learn more about your visual world. They will be able to determine if further testing is recommended and connect you with our vision training team.

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training your eyes, training your mind

gaining further insight with functional eye exams

The next step is a functional eye exam. This is more in-depth than our comprehensive eye exam, and we will assess your visual skills and go over an extensive health history with you or your child.

Then, we will determine what areas of visual skills need to be enhanced. This could include:

Eye movements
Eye teaming
Eye Focusing
Visual perception
Primitive Reflex Evaluation

During the assessment we measure the skills needed for reading fluency, letter reversals, attention/concentration, overall learning abilities and more. Based on the testing, we will determine the depth of the visual problem that may be contributing to educational or vocational performance. We will provide a consultation reviewing the findings of the assessment, as well as the recommendations. We may prescribe lenses or a plan for therapeutic solutions to the visual problems.

When we focus on improving the connection between the eyes and the brain, it allows you or your child to see easier, often resulting in better understanding of what’s being taught.

Because 1 in 10 children have a vision problem that significantly affects their ability to learn in the classroom, it’s important to help build these visual skills to help them succeed in school and in life. Seeing clearly (visual acuity) is only 1 of 17 visual skills that we need for reading and learning.

As an adult, vision problems can be frustrating and impact your higher education, career, and sports and recreational activities. We are here to help. If you have any questions, please talk to our knowledgeable vision training team in Grande Prairie.

Do you want to find out if vision training is right for you or your child? Fill out our online assessment or book an eye exam with Aurora Eye Care.

strengthening the bond between your brain and vision

vision training for concussions and traumatic brain injuries

Neuro-optometric rehabilitation is a form of vision training offered at Aurora Eye Care that helps train visual skills affected by traumatic events to the brain, like strokes, concussions, and traumatic brain injuries (TBI).

Our rehabilitation programs are completely customized to your needs. We take a deep look at the issues affecting your vision and address them using various exercises and techniques.

how brain injuries affect you

Whether you’ve experienced a concussion or a stroke, there are a number of visual symptoms you may encounter, including:

Headaches
Light sensitivity
Reading problems
Double vision
Vision loss
Dizziness

Neuro-optometric rehabilitation aims to retrain certain neural pathways that may have been affected by injury or trauma. In some cases, these issues could affect your ability to work, play sports, and participate in your daily life.

Brain injury vision symptom survey

how Aurora Eye Care can help

Rehabilitation programs change depending on the issue you’re experiencing and what originally caused your symptoms.

In many cases, programs include a mix of different techniques to help improve a number of visual skill problems. The program may take months or years to complete but we generally see symptom improvement much sooner. Our goal is to reduce headaches and fatigue, improve balance, visual memory, hand-eye coordination, cognition, and information processing.

Book vision training for brain injuries today

If you or a loved one is struggling with a brain injury affecting eyesight, find out how we can help by booking an appointment with us today.

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vision training improves various visual skills

vision training treatments

what are visual skills?

To put it in simplest terms, visual skills help you see, interact with, and react to the world around you. Even while you’re reading this, your brain and eyes are working together to make sure you can follow along and understand the words on your screen.

But visual skills don’t stop there. They can also help you drive safely, play sports, or master your favourite instrument.

The entire idea of vision training is to develop these visual skills, correct inefficiencies, and help you live life with more confidence in your eyesight.

Find out how vision training can help you when you book an appointment for a routine eye exam with us today.

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how we train visual skills

Every treatment we offer is completely custom to you or your child’s needs.

Each session is conducted one-on-one (therapist-to-patient) under doctor’s supervision. Some issues may take a few months to treat, while others may need many months or even years to see improvement. Vision training is an ongoing process. We incorporate movement, balance, vestibular and auditory integration to ensure our visual improvements translate to every aspect of daily life.

vision training tools and techniques

Vivid Vision computer technology: Vivid Vision is a computer-based virtual reality (VR) program used to help treat lazy eyes, crossed eyes, and convergence disorders.

The technology works by splitting each VR lens into its own image, one for the stronger eye and one for the weaker. By slowly changing the signal strength between each eye over weeks, the eyes learn how to work together.
syntonics: Syntonics is a type of phototherapy we may recommend to help treat many visual conditions.

We’ll have you wear different pairs of coloured lenses during this treatment while looking at a light. These lights can help send signals to your brain’s regulatory centres, which could help improve various vision problems.
patches, prisms, lenses, & more: We offer a variety of different tried and tested vision training techniques. Alongside our high-tech treatments, some other strategies can include:

Specialized patching (red or translucent)

Prism lenses

Specialty lenses & filters

Balance boards
senaptec: The Senaptec is a piece of technology that is at the forefront of sports vision training. It provides both evaluation and training programs that can be used in office and reinforced with practice at home. This technology measures and trains visual, cognitive and visuomotor skills.

Here is an example of the visual assessment information we can obtain using this technology, in addition to our own sensorimotor evaluation. This is just one of many tools we use to provide a unique edge for athletes in their sport.
senaptec strobes: A specialized type of glasses that uses liquid crystal lenses which can be programmed to alternate between clear and opaque.

By removing critical visual information, the brain is forced to process visual input more efficiently. This heightened visual capability enhances coordination, anticipation and decision-making resulting in faster reaction times, better ability to focus, and overall improved balance. Research has shown Strobe training can also reduce the risk of concussion. Great for all athletes at all levels. Most athletes notice improvement after one 15-minute session.

Patients in our program will use these in office and are assigned training activities to do at home or at practice using our strobe goggles.

Strobe training improves focus, timing, visualization, quickness, peripheral vision and balance.

take our vision training quiz

For myself

For my child

interested in referring a patient for vision training?

We’re ready to help! If you have a patient you believe might benefit from a custom vision training plan, please contact our team today.

Phone: 780-513-2020
Or email vt@auroraeyecare.ca

If you would like more information about vision training please contact us.

Please fill out the attached Patient Referral Form and email to vt@auroraeyecare.ca.

Referral form

vision training in Grande Prairie

What is vision training?

visit Aurora Eye Care’s vision training clinic in Grande Prairie

take our vision training quiz

Dr. Charlotte Forgie, FOVDR

grew up in Peace River & attended the University of Alberta

who can benefit from vision training?

we customize the vision training program for children and adults

vision and learning have an important connection

vision training for better learning

how vision training helps

Determining your vision issues with a comprehensive eye exam

gaining further insight with functional eye exams

strengthening the bond between your brain and vision

vision training for concussions and traumatic brain injuries

how brain injuries affect you

how Aurora Eye Care can help

Book vision training for brain injuries today

vision training improves various visual skills

vision training treatments

what are visual skills?

how we train visual skills

vision training tools and techniques

take our vision training quiz

interested in referring a patient for vision training?

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