Modern approaches to vision rehabilitation

26. June 2025

As part of a lecture focused on the field of vision therapy, PhDr. Martina Malotová not only the role of the vision therapist itself, but also the broader context of interdisciplinary cooperation, which is key to the effective care of patients with visual impairments. Vision therapy is a specific medical discipline that deals with the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of vision problems not only in children but also in adults. As it follows from the lecture, the vision therapist has a wide range of activities - from prevention to comprehensive rehabilitation of patients with low vision, non-verbal, disabled, after injuries or with combined health problems.

What does a vision therapist do?

Vision therapy is a modern and interesting discipline that includes a wide range of procedures and activities, divided into several main areas. "Visual therapy is a set of exercises and methods that are used to develop the existing visual potential of a child or adult. We try to use the remaining visual functions so that the patient can use them to the maximum," explains the doctor.

In addition to working in health care, the role of the vision therapist is also important in school and social services, where they participate in the diagnosis and prevention of vision disorders.

Although clinical vision therapy was originally focused on people with severe visual defects, today it also includes care for patients with, for example, binocular vision disorders and the impact of these disorders on education and everyday life. It is involved in the prevention and rehabilitation of patients after cerebrovascular accidents and injuries. The therapy includes not only rehabilitation exercises and visual stimulation, but also so-called personalized visual exercises and work with compensatory aids, which make everyday life easier for patients.

Performance performed by a vision therapist

The vision therapist performs medical procedures, both with and without a doctor's indication. Without a medical indication, it can, for example, carry out prevention, instruction for healthcare workers and basic diagnosis of visual functions. With a medical indication, it then focuses on specialized rehabilitation and stimulation of sight, for example in children in the pre-verbal age or patients with more severe visual defects. However, it all depends on the age, extent of the patient's disability and the prognosis of the disease, explains PhDr. Martina Malotová, MBA.

Who are the patients indicated for examination by a vision therapist?

​Clinical vision therapy refers to a broad group of patients who cannot be fully examined in regular ophthalmology offices. These include:

• children with delayed psychomotor development
• children born
• patients after head injuries
• persons after cerebrovascular accidents
• adults with macular degeneration for example
• persons with ASD or impaired communication skills

"The vision therapist focuses not only on diagnosis, but also on establishing a rehabilitation plan, which should fully respect the so-called interdisciplinary cooperation," emphasizes PhDr. Martina Malotová. This cooperation is necessary for the correct implementation of examination results in the patient's daily and school life. Then we talk about so-called personalized therapy – therapy tailored to a specific patient, which is not transferable to another.

Interdisciplinary collaboration: The key to success

The speaker emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation in patient care. "Interdisciplinary cooperation is very important, because an examination by a vision therapist is not the final step. It is necessary to link the results with other experts - first and foremost with ophthalmologists, neurologists and rehabilitation doctors, but also with occupational therapists, speech therapists, colleagues from pedagogical and psychological counseling services, physiotherapists and psychologists. Together, they will ensure comprehensive care for the patient," adds the doctor.

This cooperation is crucial because visual impairments significantly affect everyday life and school life, especially for children. An examination by a clinical vision therapist may reveal hidden problems that can be addressed in a targeted manner and thereby support the child's development and school results.

Diagnosis and testing of visual functions

One of the key areas of clinical vision therapy is diagnostics focused on examination of visual functions - mainly the determination of functional visual acuity, color sensitivity, sensitivity to contrast, adaptation to darkness and examination of the visual field.

The vision therapist uses specialized tests, such as the Cardiff Acuity Cards or the Teller Acuity Test, which make it possible to objectively assess the level of so-called preferential vision - i.e. visual acuity, especially in infants and toddlers, but also in patients with impaired communication skills.

"The preference looking test will show how the child locates and fixates visual stimuli against an uninteresting background. This test is very important because it allows us to see how the child functionally uses vision when they cannot express themselves verbally."

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