Behavioral Optometrist

[eyegotcha]

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So, I keep hearing the term behavioral optometrist get thrown around a lot..but what exactly is a behavioral optometrist? Do they have a different approach than ..uh "general" optometrists?

Sorry if this may seem like a dumb question, but thank you in advance!

 

[PBEA]

So, I keep hearing the term behavioral optometrist get thrown around a lot..but what exactly is a behavioral optometrist? Do they have a different approach than ..uh "general" optometrists?

Sorry if this may seem like a dumb question, but thank you in advance!

This is not a valid credential. It is a self-imposed term used to describe the type of practice philosophy certain ODs ascribe to. Many of the methods are valid, but many have also been unproven. It varies widely and is dependent on the individual practitioner. The tendency is to include perceptual or cognitive vision processes into their management of vision problems. In my opinion these are very murky waters. As a layperson, don't expect to understand much of it, if you progress through your training you will have to judge for yourself. It is not a large component of optometry training however, and is often incorporated later into practice, by those who choose to do so.

 

[rodomon]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_optometry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vision_therapy

Basically, orthoptic vision therapy has been proven by scientific studies to work and most optometrists would recommend it. Behavioral vision therapy has not been and most optometrists don't believe it really works. See also Irlen filters.

 

[kiwi5frog]

You can check out the Journal of Behavioral Optometry here:
http://www.oepf.org/jbo/index.php?pid=journals

It looks like all the articles are free to read. It's a lot to explain here, but perhaps upon your own research in to vision therapy, you will learn more about what the terminology means. I will say I've seen amazing progress from patients in vision therapy though and fully believe in the great improvements these people have from Vision Therapy. Not everyone can become a vision therapist. It takes a special type of person with a lot of passion and patience. Most ODs have commented that it is a slow process and difficult to measure their progress, it's very different from the regular OD you see every year.

 

[caitsiex]

You might also want to check out the college of vision development website that deals with developmental, rehabilitative and behavioral optometry:

http://www.covd.org

 

[IndianaOD]

People will always discount that which they don't understand. If done properly, I think a behavioral approach to optometry can be very powerful and effective. (This from a previous skeptic)

 

[kiwi5frog]

People will always discount that which they don't understand. If done properly, I think a behavioral approach to optometry can be very powerful and effective. (This from a previous skeptic)

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