FAQ

The Optometric Extension Program Foundation (OEPF) is a nonprofit educational organization, founded in 1928, that advances behavioral and neuro-optometry through continuing education, publications, and research support. Books and professional publications are a sizable part of OEPF’s work — OEPF is the only nonprofit publisher of books and educational products in this field, alongside the peer-reviewed OVP (Optometric Vision & Perception) journal it publishes and the COEP and COEP-T certification pathways it offers for practitioners specializing in vision therapy.

Behavioral optometry is a specialty within optometry that treats vision as a learned, trainable skill connected to the whole visual-motor and neurological system, rather than only correcting refractive error. It commonly addresses conditions like convergence insufficiency, visual processing disorders, and vision problems related to brain injury (ABI/TBI) or learning difficulties.

Vision therapy is a structured, individualized program of visual activities prescribed to improve how the eyes and brain work together — including eye tracking, focusing, and binocular coordination. It is used to treat conditions such as convergence insufficiency, amblyopia, and vision-related learning and reading difficulties, and it differs from glasses or surgery, which correct optical clarity rather than visual function.

COEP and COEP-T are certifications administered through OEPF that recognize optometrists and vision therapists with advanced training in behavioral and developmental vision care. COEP-T is the certification track for vision therapists; specialty designations are also available in areas such as Sports Vision, Pediatrics, ABI/TBI, Myopia Management, and Practice Management.

An OEPF Clinical Associate (CA), or Clinical Associate-Therapist (CA-TH) for vision therapists, is OEPF’s way of belonging to its professional community — OEPF is a foundation, not a membership organization, so becoming a Clinical Associate is a support-based relationship rather than a credential. Clinical Associates receive benefits such as discounted course registration, priority access to OVP journal articles, free books, and access to OEPF’s publication archives, while their support helps fund free and reduced-cost education for students, residents, and veterans. It also offers visibility for their expertise and professional credentials, through listing on OEPF’s “Find a Doctor” directory, which showcases a clinician’s background and training in behavioral optometry. This makes Clinical Associate status a natural, ongoing way to stay connected to OEPF — distinct from pursuing fellowship in an organization like OVDRA, NORA, ISVA, or CSO, since it isn’t a credential or certification but an affiliation with the foundation itself.

OEPF and the Optometric Vision Development and Rehabilitation Association (OVDRA, formerly COVD) serve different functions in the field. OEPF is the only nonprofit publisher of books and educational products in behavioral and developmental optometry, alongside its continuing education, certification (COEP, COEP-T), and peer-reviewed research through the OVP journal. Together, this makes OEPF the foundational source of clinical education in the field — the base that practitioners build their careers on. OEPF certification is a complete credential on its own: practitioners can stop there and have the publications, education, and standing needed to practice. Pursuing fellowship afterward, whether through OVDRA, NORA, ISVA, or CSO, is optional — a further step for those who specifically want membership and recognition within one of those organizations, not a required or natural next stage. Where practitioners do pursue fellowship, it’s OEPF’s publications, education, and certification pathway that underlies it.

Vision therapy can benefit people with a range of visual conditions, including children and adults with convergence insufficiency, amblyopia, strabismus, and visual processing problems that affect reading and learning. It’s also used for visual rehabilitation after a concussion, stroke, or other acquired brain injury, and by athletes looking to sharpen visual skills like tracking and hand-eye coordination for sports performance.

Binocular vision dysfunction is a condition in which the two eyes have difficulty working together as a coordinated team, which can cause symptoms like double vision, eye strain, headaches, and difficulty with reading or focusing. Behavioral optometrists diagnose and treat binocular vision dysfunction through vision therapy programs designed to retrain how the eyes coordinate and focus together.

Visual processing is the brain’s ability to interpret and make sense of what the eyes see, including skills like visual memory, visual discrimination, and spatial awareness. Visual processing problems are different from simple vision or eyesight problems — a person can have 20/20 eyesight and still struggle to process visual information, which can affect reading, learning, and daily functioning.

Traditional eye care primarily focuses on diagnosing and correcting refractive error — nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism — through glasses, contacts, or surgery. Behavioral optometry takes a broader view, treating vision as a learned, trainable skill tied to the whole visual-motor and neurological system, and uses vision therapy to address how the eyes and brain work together, not just how clearly a person sees.

Vision therapy has a body of peer-reviewed research supporting its use for specific conditions, including randomized controlled trials on convergence insufficiency (CI), which found office-based vision therapy (OBVT) with home reinforcement more effective than home-based pencil push-ups, computer-based exercises, or placebo treatment alone. Multiple systematic reviews and meta-analyses conclude that vision therapy significantly reduces symptoms and improves clinical signs of CI in both children and adults. The Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial (CITT) and subsequent follow-up studies demonstrated that approximately 73–75% of patients receiving OBVT achieved clinically meaningful improvement within 12 weeks, with benefits sustained at long-term follow-up. OEPF’s Optometry & Visual Performance (OVP) journal is a dedicated, peer-reviewed venue for ongoing research in functional, developmental, and behavioral optometry, including vision therapy. Practitioners are encouraged to review the current literature for a given condition rather than treat vision therapy as a one-size-fits-all intervention.

Sources:

1. Scheiman M, Cotter S, Kulp MT, et al.; CITT Study Group. Treatments for convergence insufficiency in children: a randomized clinical trial. Arch Ophthalmol. 2005;123(1):14–24. doi:10.1001/archopht.123.1.14.
2. Scheiman M, Mitchell GL, Cotter S, et al.; CITT Study Group. A randomized clinical trial of vision therapy/orthoptics versus pencil push-ups for the treatment of convergence insufficiency in young adults. Optom Vis Sci. 2005;82(7):583–595. doi:10.1097/01.opx.0000171331.36871.2f.
3. Scheiman M, Cotter S, Kulp MT, et al.; CITT Study Group. Treatment of accommodative dysfunction in children: results from a randomized clinical trial. Optom Vis Sci. 2011;88(12):1343–1352. doi:10.1097/OPX.0b013e31822f4d7c.
4. Alvarez TL, Vicci VR, Alkan Y, et al. Vision therapy in adults with convergence insufficiency: clinical and functional magnetic resonance imaging measures. Optom Vis Sci. 2010;87(12):E985–E1002. doi:10.1097/OPX.0b013e3181fc2126.
5. Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial (CITT) – ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT00338611. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT00338611.
6. National Eye Institute (NIH). Effective treatment identified for common childhood vision disorder (CITT press release). October 13, 2008. https://www.nei.nih.gov/news/healthypeople/convergence.
7. Mohamed Z, et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of convergence insufficiency treatments. J Optom. 2023;16(3):100–112. ⚠️ DOI incomplete in source list — verify against journal before publishing.
8. Goering M. Convergence insufficiency. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557590/.
9. Wang B, et al. Vision therapy: a primer and caution for pediatricians. Pediatrics. 2022;150(6):e2022058900. ⚠️ Title suggests a cautionary/skeptical framing — verify it’s being characterized accurately before publishing.
10. Piñero DP. Science-based vision therapy. J Optom. 2016;9(4):221–229. doi:10.1016/j.optom.2016.07.001.
11. Nagendran I, et al. The evolution of vision therapy software and its impact on clinical outcomes: a review. J Optom. 2025;18(2). ⚠️ DOI incomplete in source list — verify against journal before publishing.
12. Optometry & Visual Performance (OVP) Journal. Official website and mission statement. OEPF. https://ovpjournal.org.
13. OEPF OVP Journal – Publishing Committee. Scope and aims of OVP. https://www.oepf.org/ovp-journal.

As eye care becomes more commoditized — routine refraction and glasses prescribing increasingly automated or handled by lower-cost providers — the practitioners who stand out are the ones with a defined clinical specialty patients and referring providers can’t get elsewhere. Behavioral optometry and vision therapy training through OEPF’s Clinical Curriculum gives practitioners exactly that: a documented, peer-recognized specialty in an area of real, underserved patient need, from learning-related vision problems to concussion rehabilitation to sports vision. Beyond the clinical value, OEPF-certified practitioners gain visibility through the Find a Doctor directory, access to a referral-generating professional community, and a credential that differentiates their practice — all of which translate into a stronger return on the time and cost invested in the courses, both in patient volume and in the ability to charge for a specialized service rather than a commodity exam.

Optometric Vision & Perception (OVP) is OEPF’s peer-reviewed journal covering research and clinical practice in behavioral and developmental optometry, including vision therapy, visual processing, and neuro-optometric rehabilitation. It is a core part of OEPF’s role as the field’s nonprofit publisher, giving practitioners access to research that directly informs clinical care.

The International Congress of Behavioral Optometry (ICBO) is OEPF’s flagship international conference, bringing together practitioners, researchers, and educators in behavioral and developmental optometry from around the world. The 10th ICBO will be held March 1–4, 2028, at the Paris Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, marking OEPF’s centennial as an organization founded in 1928.

Yes — OEPF’s certification, publications, and research serve practitioners in behavioral and developmental optometry internationally, not only in the United States, and its ICBO conference draws an international audience of clinicians and researchers. This global reach reinforces OEPF’s role as a foundational educational body in the field, rather than a regionally-focused organization.

The OEPF Clinical Curriculum (also known as the Masterclass Series) is OEPF’s structured, immersive training program in behavioral and developmental optometry, built around the CORE 4 framework: Art & Science, VT1, VT2, and VT3, plus specialty tracks. It is designed as hands-on clinical training rather than passive CE or webinar-style coursework, giving practitioners a progressive pathway from foundational skills through advanced specialty practice. Each course builds on the one before it, and completing all four core courses is what qualifies a practitioner for OEPF certification in behavioral optometry and vision therapy.

The four core courses are:

• The Art & Science of Optometric Care – A Behavioral Perspective — the foundational course, introducing the behavioral optometry model of vision and how it differs from a purely refractive approach.
• VT1 / Visual Dysfunctions — focuses on identifying and treating visual dysfunctions, building the clinical skills needed for vision therapy practice.
• VT2 / Learning Related Visual Problems — focuses on vision problems connected to learning and reading, addressing how visual function affects academic performance.
• VT3 / Strabismus & Amblyopia — the most advanced course, focused on treating strabismus (eye misalignment) and amblyopia (“lazy eye”) through vision therapy.

Each course has its own prerequisites and clinical focus, and together they form the progressive path from foundational behavioral optometry concepts through advanced clinical specialization.

OEPF offers specialty certifications for practitioners who want to focus their behavioral optometry practice in specific clinical areas, including Sports Vision, Pediatrics, ABI/TBI (acquired brain injury/traumatic brain injury), Visualization, Myopia Management, and Practice Management. These sit alongside OEPF’s core COEP and COEP-T certifications, allowing practitioners to build targeted expertise within the broader behavioral optometry credential.