This information from

THE NEW LIGHT TRAINING: THEORY, PRINCIPLES, AND PRACTICE 

CONTENTS COPYRIGHT (c) 1991 JOHN SEARFOSS, O.D.

ENTRANCE TESTS AND SKILLS

ALPHA OMEGA PUPIL:
It is the rebounding response of the pupil to a penlight beamed approximately 4" away into the individual eye and left on about 5 seconds. The reaction is a closing down with a rebound as large or larger than before the light was shown into the eye. The suddenness and the size of the rebound has been correlated to the size of the visual field. The "worse" an alpha-omega pupil the smaller and more constricted the field. A sloppy, unusual, or little change is a signal of a possible problem. It is not fully understood but the symptom is believed to be fatigue of the adrenal system which is under continual stress. Whatever the cause of the symptom, it is an imbalance relating to and affecting the biochemistry. Expect the pupil of a balanced system to go down and stay with little or no change in size.

MOTILITIES
Notice the searching for the ball or target when sloppy and poor ocular movements are demonstrated. It seems as if the target leaves the field of view and they grope in search of it. Head scanning and seems to stare through the target and procedure (loose). Some hold their breath and put great energy on attempting to do the task "right" while suppressing the blink reflex (tight).

PHYSIOLOGICAL DIPLOPIA
Is sometimes absent. Hold the fixation target about 18" away and in front of the patient. Move your face off to the side and ask if they notice your face. Ask them if you've disappeared or if you are "in the dark".

FIELDS
After the history, the fields are considered the most important symptom. The visual fields are the most significant diagnostic and descriptive tool to determine if a child sees less and is performing below their potential. The visual fields describe and objectively follow the psychological state of the patient. They are your guides and indicators. They are used to verify, monitor and demonstrate success. They physically show to the patient / parent the relationship between the "eyes" and the child's inefficient and clumsy behaviors.

Do a field on yourself to get an idea of an expected field size. The test is done monocularly. Always mark a small + in the center of the chart for fixation and explanation.


The patient is to touch their forehead on the extension arm of the charter. This keeps them 8" away from the recording paper. They are told to cover or close their left eye. Then, "With your right eye, look straight ahead at all times. Look right where the lines cross (mark an + in the center at this time). Say, "tell me the moment you first notice my white dot. It can be anywhere" (hold the target near the center +). Repeat as you remove the target, "keep looking at the + and tell me the moment you notice my dot move. It doesn't have to be clear, only when you first notice it. Keep looking at the +". Move the target about as fast as you are reading this. It's not slow but not so fast they can't say "now."

Plot first at the top then move in a lateral direction completing the field isopter.

Then go to the center with your target and slowly move out toward the blind spot, saying, "Keep looking at the + and tell me when the dot disappears". Stop in the middle of the blind spot, usually pre-marked on the chart. Hold it still or slightly adjust it to different locations if it doesn't immediately disappear. It should disappear if he is fixating. Watch their eyes and eyelashes to note movement from fixation. The field charter from American International Instruments works best for this. If fixation is difficult and they almost refuse to follow directions, it may tell you they are inefficient and groping in the periphery to get information. After a few therapy sessions you will notice a great difference in the ability to do the test the second time. 

"Keep looking at the + even when the dot disappears, tell me when you first notice the dot again". Move from not visible to visible. Go across the blind spot, plotting the opposite side of the isopter each time. Note: You can not plot the blind spot if the white isopter is smaller than 15 degrees. The isopter won't reach the blind spot.

Plotting the blind spot can reveal unusual shapes, sizes, and suppressions. Sometimes the field seems to collapse while plotting the blind spot. 


Continue plotting the blind spot/field by moving the target from the top or bottom of the blind spot further and further around the central constricted area. It will appear as if the blind spot has circled around the central area. It seems as if the child has given up (suppressed) the periphery you just plotted. Ask the child if things are blurry. You will get your answer: "blurry just like in school". You will end up with two fields, a large and a small field on the same chart. To me this indicates a child falling into inefficiency. He moved out of his efficient ranges or comfort zone. He becomes out of balance and out of harmony with the demand of the task and environment. He could not endure any longer and his system becomes disrupted.

ILLUMINATIONS

Human beings seem to take the same path in adaptation when they attempt to solve, cope with, or survive what they "see" as stressful. These adaptations are results. They modify behavior. Behavior is described in what is frequently called optometric findings or symptoms.

Remember, exophoria and esotropia, accommodative and convergence insufficiencies and a host of other optometric findings are only symptoms of an underlying cause, Light Training is seldom focused on a specific symptom.

[Visual] Training does not give learned behaviors. Vision is learned and developed so the "improved motor" skills we get are really the new freedoms and ranges of movements within that which was always there.

Vision and the mind may be structured like layered holographs of each frequency in a continuum. Light Training seems to rebuild, fill in the gaps, complete or re-assimilate the frequency layers. The recent phenomena of the Irlen reading glasses (colored lenses) may be showing us how important a narrow band of frequencies can be. Could it be that the lenses were filling in a gap in the processes? Light Training enables the organism to assimilate these frequencies permanently.

It is interesting to note that the three filters most generally used with success in the "Syntonics" approach are the most well defined and purest bands. We are now using and exploring the new precision band pass filters which are exact and now available in all frequency bands. The new American International Light Instrument allows exploration with filter modules and variable timed stimulation with the new precision filters.

The chronic, vision dysfunction, vision related learning problem, Stress syndrome, typical vision problem child sometimes called the "type A" case will be transformed. The parents and not always the patient will have the reasons for being in your office for your care. Document the symptoms, behaviors, and inabilities. What are the problems and why are they there. These become the patient's, parent's and your goals. Find out exactly what they are, purpose, reason, goal and expectations. Without them you have nothing to treat, resolve or aim for. You have results when you have "before and after". When the results and changes come slowly and gently the patients and parents sometimes forget they ever had this or that problem. Find out what the behavioral problems are and document them before you begin. Your records will be valuable to go over again after the therapy.