Neurovisual Assessment
Dr Janet Schenk, Bsc. O.D.
A Neurovisual assessment is a specialized evaluation of your binocular coordination (ability of both eyes to work together) and how your eyes and brain work together.
WHO NEEDS THIS EXAM?
This assessment is recommended for patients experiencing:
- Headaches or migraines
- Concussion or whiplash injury
- Dizziness or history of motion sickness
- Feeling unbalanced or spatially disoriented
- Words splitting into two while reading
- Skipping lines or losing place when reading
- Blurry vision that requires effort to clear
- Fatigue with near work or screen use
- Avoidance of reading
- Brain fog
- Anxiety or feeling overwhelmed without clear reason
- Diagnosis of amblyopia (“lazy eye”)
- Traumatic brain injury or neurological disease
- Convergence insufficiency
- ADHD or difficulty focusing for long periods
If you feel like your eyes are “working too hard” — this exam is for you.
HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT FROM A ROUTINE EYE EXAM?
A routine eye exam must be done first, which includes checking the ocular health of the eyes.
If symptoms suggest a deeper visual imbalance, you are referred for this extended assessment.
During the Neurovisual Exam, specialized tests are done, including using optics tracker – an infrared eye tracker system. With these tests, we evaluate binocular coordination, visual stability and the interaction between vision and the autonomic nervous system.
Many symptoms are related to sympathetic overdrive (fight-or-flight dominance). When the visual system is misaligned, the brain must work harder to stabilize space. This can create fatigue, difficulty focussing, headaches, anxiety and dizziness.
The goal of the Neurovisual Exam is to provide more comfortable vision , improve reading ability, reduce headaches and dizziness and provide greater cognitive clarity.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE EXAM?
Based on your symptoms and testing results, specialized therapeutic lenses may be prescribed.
These may include:
- Therapeutic NeuroSync glasses – yoked microprism glasses
- Specialized tints
- Syntonic color filters
These lenses, which provide passive vision therapy, change how light enters your visual system and how spatial information is processed by the brain. The lenses will improve visual comfort, support parasympathetic (rest/relaxation) system, promote neuroplastic change, improve daily visual function.
For many patients, this first step provides significant improvement.
FOLLOW-UP CARE
A follow-up appointment is typically scheduled a few months after receiving your lenses.
Depending on your condition:
- The prescription may remain stable for a year or longer, or may have to be altered more
frequently - Some patients may benefit from additional therapy such as visual vestibular therapy or
vision therapy
FEE & INSURANCE
$250 consultation fee, 1 hour assessment
Coverage: Often covered as a Vision Therapy Assessment, may qualify under a health care spending account, can be claimed as a medical expense on income tax. Please check with your insurance provider.
