If you, or your child, passed an eye exam but still struggle with reading, focus, or headaches, the problem might not be your sight; it could be your functional vision.
Most people equate “good vision” with 20/20 eyesight. If you can read the smallest row of letters on the chart, your eyes must be fine—right? Not exactly. At Advanced Eyecare & Therapies in Spokane, we see patients every day who have perfect eyesight but still struggle with symptoms that affect learning, comfort, or performance. That’s because eyesight and functional vision are not the same thing.
Eyesight measures how clearly you can see an object at a certain distance. Functional vision, on the other hand, describes how well your eyes move, focus, and work together as a team to process what you’re seeing. When something is off in your functional vision, it can make everyday tasks exhausting, even if you technically have “perfect vision.”
Clear Sight Isn’t Always Comfortable Vision
You can have 20/20 vision and still:
- Lose your place while reading
- Experience frequent headaches or eye strain
- Struggle to concentrate in school or at work
- Avoid reading altogether due to fatigue
- Feel clumsy or off-balance when navigating space
- Have difficulty copying from a board or screen
These symptoms often point to problems with visual tracking, convergence (the eyes working together), or visual processing speed, issues that won’t show up during a standard vision screening.
We’ve even had children in our Spokane clinic labeled as “unmotivated” or “behavioral” in class, only to find out that their eyes are making learning physically difficult. It’s not that they can’t see the board,it’s that their brain and eyes can’t keep up with what’s being asked of them.
What Is Functional Vision? Spokane Patients Deserve to Know
Functional vision refers to how your visual system supports real-life activities like reading, driving, writing, or even walking through a crowded room. It includes a range of visual skills, such as:
- Eye tracking (following a line of text or moving object)
- Eye teaming (both eyes working together)
- Visual focusing (shifting between near and far)
- Depth perception and spatial awareness
- Visual memory and processing speed
When even one of these systems is underdeveloped or disrupted, it can affect how you read, learn, and interact with the world. Unlike eyesight, which is mostly static, functional vision can improve with training and therapy.
Vision Therapy in Spokane: The Missing Link to Visual Comfort
At Advanced Eyecare & Therapies, we offer customized vision therapy programs designed to retrain how your eyes and brain work together. This isn’t about “muscle strengthening” or doing simple exercises at home, vision therapy is a medical treatment supervised by eye care professionals, and it’s tailored to the specific needs of each patient.
Vision therapy is ideal for:
- Children with reading challenges or diagnosed learning disabilities
- Adults with lingering visual problems after concussions or brain injuries
- Students with focus or attention issues
- Anyone experiencing chronic eye strain, double vision, or dizziness
Our Spokane patients often report dramatic improvements not just in vision, but in confidence, academic performance, and daily life comfort.
Why Spokane Families Need Comprehensive Vision Exams
A standard eye exam checks for refractive errors (nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism), eye diseases, and 20/20 clarity. But a functional vision exam goes deeper. At our Spokane clinic, we evaluate a full range of visual skills using specialized tests not typically included in basic screenings.
Comprehensive functional exams are especially important for:
- Children struggling in school, despite good grades or behavior
- Adults with unexplained fatigue, motion sensitivity, or reading avoidance
- Anyone recovering from stroke or traumatic brain injury
The good news? Functional vision problems are often very treatable once they’re identified, and vision therapy offers hope and solutions for symptoms patients may have lived with for years.
Think Beyond 20/20: Functional Vision Testing in Spokane
At Advanced Eyecare & Therapies, we believe no patient should struggle simply because their issues don’t show up on a standard eye chart. Dr. D. Todd Wylie, OD, FOVDR, and our skilled team offer Spokane families a deeper look into their visual health—with solutions that go far beyond glasses.
If 20/20 vision hasn’t solved the problem, it’s time to dig deeper. Schedule your comprehensive vision evaluation today to get started.