What is Syntonics?
Syntonics, or optometric phototherapy, is a branch of ocular science dedicated to the application of specific wavelengths (colors) to treat visual conditions and help balance the autonomic nervous system. Syntonics works by targeting the pathway connecting the eyes to the brain’s regulatory center that is responsible for circadian rhythms and hormone production and regulation.
Who Benefits from Syntonics?
Certain visual conditions that can benefit from syntonics include:
- Strabismus
- Amblyopia
- Binocular vision problems
- Learning-related visual problems
- Visual consequences following brain trauma
An individual with a compromised visual field and poor central and peripheral visual integration does not use their visual system to their fullest potential. Concussions, trauma, stress, anxiety, and/or binocular visual issues provoke narrowing or tunnel vision, making daily life activities more taxing and leading to poor performance. Imagine trying to work, read, or drive through a pinhole.
Syntonics allows for an expansion of one’s peripheral vision by enlarging the “functional” visual field to allow patients to process a greater demand and higher detail of visual information without being overwhelmed.
Syntonics is at the forefront for treating acquired and traumatic brain injuries. The majority of patients that suffer a head trauma have an increase in their sympathetic (fight or flight) system following an injury. Syntonics assists in balancing the autonomic nervous system to allow for improved visual function.
At Cary Vision Therapy, we utilize Syntonics independently and in conjunction with in-office vision therapy to achieve the best results.