Casha has been practicing as an optometrist in South Africa for the past 27 years after qualifying in 1991 at the University of Johannesburg. Over the years she has furthered her knowledge and cultivated her passion for binocular vision, visual therapy and neuro-optometry. She completed the Certificate for Advanced Study in Diagnostics as well as Binocular Vision from the New England College of Optometry (USA) and attended numerous courses in visual therapy and binocular vision in the England. She is an accredited member of the British Association of Behavioral Optometrists. Casha has a special interest in neuro optometry and has furthered her studies in cortical vision impairment. She attends regular workshops and courses in neuro optometry and is a member of the Neuro Optometric Association. She is currently working towards her fellowship in Neuro Optometry.
Casha is the owner of three optometric practices in the greater-Johannesburg area trading under the name “Eyetek”. Eyetek provides vision solutions to patients with poor binocular skills and strabismus, providing support with optical solutions as well as with multi sensory visual therapy. Eyetek also provides visual rehabilitation for patients with brain injuries. Casha is a regular speaker at schools and neuro-rehabilitation hospitals and hosts workshops for optometrists.
Neuro Rehabilitation Optometry
The brain controls everything we say, do, think and feel. A brain injury can result from birth trauma or a stroke. Physical trauma from a motor vehicle accident or a fall can also result in a brain injury. In fact, anything that disrupts the function of the brain can result in a brain injury.
Up to 40% of people with brain injuries or strokes experience vision-related disorders even when their eyes are unharmed. This is because the eyeball and its structures are usually not affected in a brain injury, but the brain’s connections and nerves that control vision are easily disrupted.
Because 65-85% of all information processed by the brain comes through the visual system, we can use therapeutic lenses and prism to guide healing and changes in the brain.
A Neuro Optometrist utilises therapeutic prisms, lenses, filters and occlusion to help stimulate parts of the brain, which are not functioning as effectively as need be due to interruptions caused by the brain injury. Neuro-optometrists are specifically trained in Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation and form part of the multi-disciplinary team who treats brain injury survivors. Neuro-optometric-rehabilitation should not be confused with normal visual therapy, which is an additional therapy needed by some brain
injury survivors.
Brain injuries are traumatic and overwhelming for patients and their families.
Some of the visual related symptoms following brain injury can include:
- Dizziness/disorientation
- Changes in posture
- Sensitivity to light
- Difficulties with reading
- Balance problems
- Blurred vision/double vision
- Loss of peripheral vision
- Problems with depth perception
- Concentration problems
Acquired brain injury is a life-long syndrome. There is no overnight cure. With the help of Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation and a multi-disciplinary team there is great hope for these survivors to improve their quality of life.