OPTOMETRIC CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINE Care of the Patient with Accommodative and Vergence Dysfunction

Vision Service Plan is proud to underwrite this latest series of Clinical Practice Guidelines. These Guidelines will be a significant patient care information resource for optometrists and will become an integral part of VSP's successfully growing MedAlliance SM Plan. As the nation's largest eyecare health plan, Vision Service Plan provides prepaid vision care coverage and total eyecare programs to thousands of groups, insurance companies, and HMOs across the United States for millions of Americans. Doctors of optometry are independent primary health care providers who examine, diagnose, treat, and manage diseases and disorders of the visual system, the eye, and associated structures as well as diagnose related systemic conditions. Optometrists provide more than two-thirds of the primary eye care services in the United States. They are more widely distributed geographically than other eye care providers and are readily accessible for the delivery of eye and vision care services. There are approximately 29,500 full-time equivalent doctors of optometry currently in practice in the United States. Optometrists practice in more than 7,000 communities across the United States, serving as the sole primary eye care provider in more than 4,300 communities. The mission of the profession of optometry is to fulfill the vision and eye care needs of the public through clinical care, research, and education, all of which enhance the quality of life. NOTE: Clinicians should not rely on this Clinical Guideline alone for patient care and management. Refer to the listed references and other sources for a more detailed analysis and discussion of research and patient care information. The information in the Guideline is current as of the date of publication. It will be reviewed periodically and revised as needed. INTRODUCTION Optometrists, through their clinical education, training, experience, and broad geographic distribution, provide primary eye and vision care for a significant portion of the American public. Optometrists are often the first health care practitioners to diagnose patients with accommodative or vergence dysfunction. This Optometric Clinical Practice Guideline on Care of the Patient with Accommodative and Vergence Dysfunction describes appropriate examination and treatment procedures to reduce the risk of visual disability from these binocular vision anomalies through timely diagnosis, treatment, and, when necessary, referral for consultation with or treatment by another health care provider. This Guideline will assist optometrists in achieving the following goals: ● Identify patients at risk for developing accommodative or vergence dysfunction ● Accurately diagnose accommodative and vergence anomalies ● …