One of the activities that we do in vision therapy is called Angels in the Snow. Just as the name implies, we are working on body movements and coordination of our arms and legs much like you would when making a snow angel. You’re probably thinking, “why is this part of vision therapy? What does it have to do with the eyes?”
We believe that the eyes are very much connected to the whole body. In order for us to be able to have better control and coordination in both our eyes, we need to be able to do that as well throughout our entire body. If a child’s gross motor skills (i.e., running, walking, eye-body coordination) are lacking, it will likely reflect in their fine motor skills such as having difficulty copying words from a board, poor eye-hand coordination, messy writing, or trouble tracking an object. Poor fine motor skills are intricately connected and can be indicative of poor eye movements. Weaknesses in these areas can affect their performance in school or sports.
Fortunately, gross and fine motor skills can be improved over time with guidance and practice. In vision therapy, our patients first work on their gross motor skills before moving on to fine motor skills. We simultaneously strengthen eye movements and then tie them all together to make sure the vision skills are well integrated with their gross and fine motor skills.
Let our doctors know if your child is struggling with poor coordination, hitting a ball, or messy writing. It may be an issue with the eyes that you’ve been missing all along!
For any questions about vision therapy, please contact our office at (714) 486-3315. Our doctors and staff are ready to assist you!
