Vision Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease at Downtown Vision Centre

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurological disorder that affects movement and bodily coordination, particularly in middle-aged people. Being a progressive disease, it worsens significantly as patients approach and cross 60 years of age. People with PD often experience tremors, rigid muscles, posture change, and speech impairment, among several other symptoms.

Parkinson's disease can also have a significant impact on a person's visual perception and balance, making it difficult to go about their normal life. Although it is one of the lesser-known symptoms of the disease, visual perception problems pose serious risks to PD patients — think of dangerous falls or accidents leading to injuries, fractures, and trauma.

Fortunately, vision therapy has since emerged as a powerful method to correct these visual and motor skill issues in people with PD. Below, we will explore the benefits of vision therapy and how it can help improve your visual perception and balance if you have Parkinson’s disease.

Effects of Parkinson’s Disease on Visual Perception

Parkinson’s disease usually affects your brain, eyes, and other parts of your nervous system, making it difficult to respond to visual cues. For example, the right thing to do when one encounters a physical obstacle such as a knee-high rock is to move away or cross it, but for people living with Parkinson’s, avoiding that blockade may be more challenging and even hazardous.

Another symptom of Parkinson's is reduced contrast sensitivity, which refers to the inability to differentiate objects of similar colors or hues. This can make it difficult to see objects in low light or high glare conditions and may also affect the ability to recognize faces — even those of the closest loved ones.

How Parkinson's Disease Affects Balance

Normally, you would be able to move, walk, stand, and maintain a stable position without assistance, but with the onset and progress of PD, the communication between your brain and the muscles responsible for balance and coordination becomes severely affected. This makes it challenging to maintain postural balance and increases your risk of falling and injuring yourself.

Vision Therapy for Parkinson's Disease

Vision therapy refers to the methods used in managing and correcting visual defects and impairments — think of it as physiotherapy for the visual system.

While vision therapy might not always be associated with Parkinson’s treatment, it can help rehabilitate specific visual and motor skills that will enhance the quality of your life, helping you perform daily routines with little or no assistance despite your condition.

Expect the following exercises during vision therapy for Parkinson’s disease:

1. Eye-tracking exercises

These exercises involve following a moving target with your eyes with the intent of improving your eye movement and coordination.

Remember, PD impairs your natural ability to do this, so your optometrist will customize these exercises to retrain the affected muscles and nerves.

2. Depth perception exercises

With depth perception exercises, you will improve your ability to judge the distance between objects more accurately.

Your optometrist will design a regimen that is specifically tailored to your condition to reset your ability to navigate your environment and avoid obstacles.

3. Contrast sensitivity exercises

These exercises will help you distinguish between objects of different shades or colors. The aim is to improve your ability to see in low light or environments with poor contrast.

4. Peripheral vision exercises

These exercises aim to increase awareness of objects in your periphery, that is, objects not directly in your line of vision.

Peripheral vision exercises aim to sharpen your spatial awareness to avoid obstacles and navigate your environment more easily.

Benefits of Vision Therapy for Parkinson's Disease

When vision therapy is done correctly, its benefits for Parkinson’s patients include:

1. Improved balance
2. Reduced risk of falls
3. Improved quality of life

When To Start Vision Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease and for How Long

You should begin vision therapy immediately when Parkinson’s disease starts to affect your visual perception and balance, according to medical experts — and vision therapy would usually last anywhere between 4-6 years.

Remember, once your normal daily activities become impossible due to an increased risk of falling and sustaining an injury, it’s time to contact a neuro-developmental optometrist for vision therapy.

Get a Vision Therapist for Parkinson's Disease

If you have recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s or are starting to struggle with your vision due to your diagnosis, we can help you get the vision therapy you need. At Downtown Vision Centre in Vancouver, we’ll provide a functional vision assessment and then develop a treatment plan tailored to your exact needs. We’ll be with you every step of the way, answering any questions you have and keeping careful track of your progress as we work with you to strengthen your visual skills.

Contact us at Downtown Vision Centre to get started.