Diagnosing Vision Issues
... It’s As Easy As Riding a Bike
.........................................................................................

At the start of his career as an optometrist, Dr. Rick Graebe of Versailles observed that many of his patients still suffered from reading problems, headaches and eye-hand coordination issues despite wearing glasses with a perfect prescription.
That’s when Graebe realized that the structural-based medical model of vision taught in optometry and ophthalmology schools was inadequate.

“Everything was based on eyeballs,” Graebe said. “Is the cornea healthy? Is the retina healthy?”
Although those concerns are indispensable to eye care, patients need a more dynamic approach.
“That’s why my model of vision is now a functional model because it answers the question, ‘Why is this person having trouble functioning in the world?” he said.

“The medical model looks at vision as a stand alone thing. For me, vision takes place in the brain where all the senses are integrated, with more than 70% of the sensory input to the brain coming from the visual system.”
That translates to an exam in Dr. Graebe’s office that goes beyond merely the eye chart.

After a vision exam of a child, Graebe may surprise parents with the correct observation that their child has trouble with other daily activities such as riding a bike, reading or copying from the board.
“That’s because the problem is not merely their eyesight, but the efficiency of the visual system,” Graebe said.
And that happens every single day in the classroom where students spend up to 75% of their time on up-close work.

Students who can read an eye chart perfectly may struggle because their vision system is flawed in one of three areas:

1) Can the eyes point and move correctly when a child reads?

2) Can the visual system process and understand information gathered by the eyes?

3) Can the brain integrate the information in an understandable way?

An exam in Dr. Graebe’s office can identify these issues, but can the doctor fix them?
“Absolutely. That’s what we do all day, everyday,” he said. “If our tests show they are having problems, we can fix them.”
And nothing gives Dr. Graebe more satisfaction than helping his patients.

“After switching from the old medical model of vision to my updated functional model, we are able to solve most of the daily problems that cause many people to suffer and struggle needlessly,” he said.
“It is so satisfying to take people who have been struggling in their world and help them to reach their potential and ultimate success.”