Functional Vision Assessments

Healthy Aging Physical Therapy offers Functional Vision Assessments:


Occupational Therapy plays a unique role in helping those dealing with vision changes due to a medical condition. We understand that impairments in vision can have a significant impact on how an individual is able to interpret and interact with the world, as well as the challenges that can arise when trying to complete everyday activities. 

Our occupational therapists have advanced training allowing them to not only assess how well you can see, but how your vision affects your ability to function in the environments and contexts that are important to you.

Through our Functional Vision Assessment, we will screen basic visual functions including: 

  • Acuity (how clearly you can see), both close-up and at a distance

  • Contrast sensitivity (how well you can distinguish an object from the background, particularly important in low-light conditions)

  • Visual fields (your peripheral vision, also helpful in identifying blind spots)

  • Oculomotor skills (how well you can control your eye movements)

As well as higher-level functional vision skills, such as:

  • Visual attention (your ability to notice and process the information that your eyes are taking in)

  • Scanning (your ability to use your vision to search the environment in a systematic manner)

  • Visual motor skills (better known as hand-eye coordination) 


Upon completion of your evaluation, we will work with you to determine personalized goals and create a treatment plan. Treatment sessions may look like:

  • Training your eyes to work more efficiently (this is NOT vision therapy! We will refer out if we feel you would benefit from vision therapy services)

  • Teaching you to use low-tech tools and compensatory strategies to make it easier for you to process visual information

  • Suggesting changes to your environment or how you perform an activity 

  • Training in compensatory reading strategies

  • Determining which accessibility features may be helpful to you when using your phone, computer, or tablet

  • Helping you maximize your ability to use other senses to compensate for vision loss.

Is a Functional Vision Assessment right for you? 

If you feel that your vision is impacting your ability to participate in your usual activities, we are happy to provide an evaluation regardless of your diagnosis. We recommend seeing your eye doctor as soon as possible if you are experiencing any changes to your vision. You will benefit most from our evaluation if you first make sure that you have the correct lenses and are keeping up with regular eye health examinations. 

You may benefit from an evaluation with us if you have any of the following conditions:

  • Macular degeneration

  • Glaucoma

  • Cataracts

  • Diabetic retinopathy

  • Visual field loss

  • Vision changes following a brain injury (including concussion)

To schedule your Functional Vision Assessment, please call (617) 398 - 4508 or fill out the form below: