Behavioral Optometry - History

History

Behavioral optometry is considered by some optometrists to have its origins in orthoptic vision therapy. However, Vision therapy is differentiated between strabismic/orthoptic vision therapy (which Orthoptists and Ophthalmologists practice) and non-strabismic vision therapy. A.M. Skeffington was an American optometrist known to some as "the father of behavioral optometry". Skeffington has been credited as co-founding the Optometric Extension Program with E.B. Alexander in 1928.

Part of behavioral vision care is concerned with impact of visual "skills" on performing visual tasks. Various behaviors and poor performance during visual tasks may suggest non-optimal visual skills. For example this could manifest as eyestrain symptoms experienced during visual tasks, or adopting poor posture (e.g. leaning in too close to visual material). Another example, could be difficulty understanding maps, difficulty recalling visual information, difficulty completing jigsaws and difficulty drawing/copying/interpreting visual information.

Claims have been made that behavioral optometry can aid with cognitive, behavioral or language disorders such as ADHD and dyslexia, although there is no evidence to support these claims. It is therefore popular among parents who may not want their children to be stigmatized by being labeled with a cognitive or language impairment, as it claims that poor vision is the real cause of their disorder.