Read about what Milo is doing this summer! Lots of home vision study!

As mentioned in my previous post, Milo is taking a 6-week break from his vision therapy sessions (these breaks are scheduled throughout the 2 years of his 10, 6-week-long phases), but his exercises continue at home. Typically, he does his home exercises five days a week (on non-therapy days), but during this "break", he participates all 7 days.

I wanted to give a "peek" inside his home routine. Pictured are some of his many eye exercise routines. At the beginning of each phase, new exercises are added to his toolkit. While the newest exercises are our primary focus, we integrate older ones also.

Because we live in a small condo with limited wall space, we've made a wall in the master bedroom our "therapy wall". Each evening, Mark locks the door (it's a must with a toddler) to engage with Milo in this routine for anywhere from 20-40 minutes.

On the "therapy wall" are magnets used for posting large presentation boards with content glued on them, and we rotate through these content boards. For example, one such board focuses on "temporal saccades". Temporal saccades refer to rapid, lateral eye movements directed outward toward the temples (the temporal hemifield). Because eye movements are tightly linked to timing and visual perception, the term temporal saccades relates to how the brain anticipates, tracks, and processes moving visual information over time. Overall, these various "wall" exercises encourage eye movement and visual scanning. Milo practices finding letters, shifting his eyes accurately between targets, and keeping his focus steady—all important exercises that help his eyes learn to work together more efficiently.

We also incorporate flippers for other therapy wall exercises. Flippers are handheld vision therapy tools with magnifying (plus) lenses on one side and minifying (minus) lenses on the other. Used to rapidly alternate between these lenses while reading or looking at objects, they train Milo's eye muscles to quickly adjust focus, improving his visual agility and stamina.

Milo also participates in exercises beyond the "therapy wall". One involves moving a white pencil inscribed vertically with the alphabet that Milo tracks as he reads the letters. Another uses special therapy glasses and a striped transparency to challenge Milo's eyes and brain to work together. The colored stripes make it harder to see the picture and writing from the book underneath, helping improve eye tracking, focus, and visual processing—important skills for treating amblyopia and strengthening binocular vision.

At Milo's age (six years), putting in the daily work to heal his visual system is crucial, as his brain-eye deficiencies can become embedded as his brain plasticity window narrows. His neuroplasticity helps him to form new neural connections, strengthening existing pathways through repetition, weakening or replacing inefficient pathways, and therefore adapting in response to his training. Because of his conditions, his brain has learned inefficient visual habits (ignoring input from one eye and allowing it to drift inward, making inaccurate eye movements, and struggling to coordinate both eyes together). Rather than "fixing" the eye itself, these exercises repeatedly challenge the brain to use both eyes together and improve visual processing. Over time, and especially during this crucial brain plasticity window, his brain can build stronger, more efficient neural pathways. Repetition matters. Hundreds of repetitions over weeks and months reinforce the desired pathways, and consistent practice helps these pathways become more automatic. It's similar to learning to ride a bike or play the piano. At first, the task takes a lot of concentration. With repeated practice, the brain becomes more efficient, and the skill becomes easier.

All of Milo's hard work requires dedication and focus. But he's doing it, and his visual system is improving. We are so thankful for the provision of the tools he needs to make the desired and needed changes so that he will have a future where he can succeed! He is now over one quarter of the way through his two-year therapy program. His is a long road, but he's making big strides!

Click on the following link to read the updated blog post about Milo Jeffers graduation from Kindergarten.

https://www.caringbridge.org/site/86527306-499d-11f1-82f4-45a7279faea7/post/c396f369-34af-49b7-9f9e-bde2164e2f99?utm_source=website_share&utm_medium=share_button&utm_term=&utm_content=link_share_button&utm_campaign=post_php

Milo Jeffers Vision Therapy Journey

Seeing is Believing . . .

Team Milo