Good vision involves moving eyes together as a coordinated team; effectively scanning a line of type across a page; shifting focus from far to near quickly; and remembering how a word is spelled when eyes are closed, among other things, said Gerri Struss, an Owatonna vision therapist for eight years.

“The visual system is a developmental skill,” she said. “A very smart child struggling to learn doesn’t make sense. Good eyesight does not equal good vision.”

She believes an example like Lindsay Solheid is living proof. Therapy didn’t teach her how to read. It taught her how to effectively use her eyes to become a better reader.

“Most of the students we work with do not have glasses,” Struss said. “It’s not a lack of not being able to read. It’s just for them, it’s equated with something really, really hard.”

Vision therapists say children — and adults — have the ability to correct those problems through a variety of eye and physical exercises.

“We break down the old habits and retrain the eyes,” Struss said. “It’s very tailor made to the individual child.”

She said therapy can fix double vision, space orientation and improve motor skills and directionality problem, such as reversal due to regressive eye movements (i.e. confusing a ‘b’ with a ‘d’).

According to Struss’ statistics, about one in four people suffer from at least some type of vision malady.

And although sometimes controversial, vision therapists and Struss say children with vision disorders are sometimes misdiagnosed with a learning disorder such as attention deficit.

Those children may end up on heavy medication or in a special education program for no reason, Struss said.

“Are there kids who need those drugs? Yes,” she said. “But you can’t tell me that it’s as high as it is.”

Mankato satellite

A tour of the Mankato Vision Therapy Center in Madison East Center revealed several of the corrective techniques vision therapists use. Three therapists, Nancy Beran, Teresa Krohn and Kim Thompson, run the center.

Balance beams, special-lens eyeglasses, tracking exercises, unique projector slides, complicated motor skill movements and near/far focusing games are just a few of the tools often used in the vision center.

For at least one news reporter, trying some of them left a feeling of frustration and some disorientation.