What Is Neuro-Optometry? A Beginner's Guide to the Brain-Eye Connection

Your eyes work closely with your brain, helping you see the world and understand where you are in it. Neuro-optometry helps when that connection gets disrupted. Learn more about this specialty and the brain-eye connection.

Medical specialists bring unique, in-depth expertise to complex and life-altering issues, and our team at DeyeNAMICS is no exception. Specializing in neuro-optometry, we work to understand vision as a brain process to address issues that stem from both sides of the equation.

Let’s take a look at the science behind neuro-optometry and who can benefit from this specialty.

The Dynamic Link Between Your Eyes and Brain

Your vision is closely linked to your brain and many different types of neurological processes. One study even describes the eye as “an anatomical extension of the brain,” and we feel this description is closer to the truth. Your eyes act as the main sensory experience to the outside world by capturing information (light) and sending it to your brain through your optic nerves for interpretation.

Each eye has one optic nerve. These nerves are the second pair of 12 cranial nerves. There are also three other pairs of cranial nerves directly involved with the eyes and are responsible for specific eye movements. This underscores the close connection between your eyes and brain.

The information sent through your optic nerve travels through your brain to the visual cortex in your occipital lobe, located toward the back of your brain. This is an important brain region for visual processing and allows for you to actually “see.”

How Neuro-Optometry Improves the Brain-Eye Connection

Some vision problems originate in the eyes themselves, such as refractive errors which occur as a result of differing eyeball lengths. But neuro-optometry addresses issues in your brain that affect your vision and spatial awareness (i.e., where you are in the world relative to objects and space). This can result in obvious spatial-related symptoms including reduction in depth perception, poor balance, and frequently bumping into objects but can also result in other symptoms including reduced reading comprehension or avoidance of near tasks.

Neurological conditions that can affect your vision and spatial awareness include:

Each of these conditions can impact the brain’s vision system and make navigating your world more challenging. We address this through neuro-optometric rehabilitation, using a wide range of tools and treatments to restore or strengthen the brain-eye connection. From specialized lenses to neuro-visual postural therapy, our team helps people live more independently and confidently.

Get Support for Your Brain-Eye Health

If you have more questions about neuro-optometry and the brain-eye connection, we’re here to help with answers, guidance, and care tailored to your needs. To get in touch with one of our specialists, contact us at one of our offices in Sacramento, Bellflower, or Valencia, California; Guildford, Connecticut; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; or Plano, Texas, for a consultation.