Vision Deficiencies

Chiropractic/Osteopathy practitioners of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) note that patients report improvements in their vision after treatments for their backs.

Many documented cases show vision deteriorating after a blow to the head or spine (South Med J, 1962;55:69-71; Ann Opthalmol, 1972;4:63-73; Acta Orthop Scand, 1989;60:513-6). But occasionally reports also surface of people whose vision improves after a trauma to the spine. For instance the British comedian George Formby was born blind, but at the age of two he gained partial site after a violent fit of sneezing. In Australia, a woman who had been blind for 16 years regained partial sight after knocking herself out by banging into a chest of drawers (The Sydney Paper, 25 October, 1986:5).

Studies into the beneficial ocular effects of spinal manipulation show proof that it can cause positive changes in visual acuity and oculomotor function (J Aust Chiro Assoc. 1989;19:126-8: Acta Otolaryngol [Stockh], 1991;111:664-70), intraocular pressure (J Am Osteopath Assoc,1975:74:147-51: J Chiro, 1969:6:S25-7), and pupillary size (J Manipulative Physiol Ther,1988:11:181-9).

Another report documented 12 patients whose vision improved, in many cases remarkably, after SMT. Four ophthalmologists, independent of both the author and each other, who examined the patients before and after treatment using standard ophthalmoscopic assessment methods, confirmed the result (Chiropractic Tech, 1995;7:43-54).

There are several theories about why spinal manipulation may help visual problems. But the one which has the most support in research is the idea of cerebral hibernation: vertebral nerve irritation, or irritation from a painful joint or muscle lesion, causes certain parts of the brain - in this case the visual cortex - to shut down. Spinal manipulation is seen as a way to restore full blood flow and function to the visual part of the brain.

Consultation: appointment by telephone 01293 784200