Pleoptic Therapy
By Craig Stellpflug NDC
Healing Pathways Medical Clinic
Tempe, AZ
Copyright 2009 Craig Stellpflug©.
Permission is herby granted to copy and distribute this article but only in its entirety

Central Detail Vision

Central detail vision or macular vision occurs in the macula of the eye. In anatomy, this is the small yellowish area of the retina near the optic disk  that provides central vision. When the gaze is fixed on any object, the center of the macula, the center of the lens, and the object being viewed are in a straight line. In the center of the macula is a depression, called the fovea. The fovea contains specialized nerve cells that are known as cones. Cones are associated with color vision and perception of fine detail.  

Because the macula is the fine detail vision center of the eye this is where the brain eventually learns to interpret symbols into meaning. At later stages of development this is where reading occurs best and math is processed best. Reading and symbol recognition is visual memorization of images taken into the eye and stored in the brain.

To experience the central detail vision and its importance let’s consider the temporary flash blindness associated to photography flash. The macula can be over-stimulated with too much light causing the brain to “tune it down” This occurs in the case of flash-blindness. We all have experienced temporary flash blindness with the flash of the camera in our eyes. This causes us to experience the “blue dot” in our vision for a few minutes because the brain reacts to the flash by tuning down the macula thereby making it less reactive to light.

In the case of “red eye” in a photograph, the macula of the eyes reflects the flash of light from the camera back to the camera film causing what is known as “red eye” in the photo. The newest cameras have a pre-flash built in to over-stimulate the macula of the eye before the flash that takes the picture thus reducing red eye in the ensuing photograph.

Children who have under-developed macular vision see life with the “blue dots” (actually gray or fuzzy) in the center of the vision all the time. This child will not look you in the eyes, sit really close to the television screen, and will read while holding a book at a very odd angle. Also when flash photography is used with this child the eyes will not reflect the light normally off of the macula and this child will not have red eye like the normal eye will.

If there is a challenge in central detail vision the brain will have difficulty recognizing and memorizing symbols and words. The child may even skip whole lines while reading and invent words that it cannot see clearly using adaptive function to compensate for the lack of detail vision. This child will also be hyper-peripheral and distracted by motions in the periphery of the vision.

Central detail vision is the stage where the eyes first begin to really work together bilaterally. The brain begins to recognize the information as the same in both eyes and basic tracking begins to occur. Depth perception moves forward here as the visual horizons open up to the baby’s developing mobility and the eyes begin to triangulate objects.

Simultaneously at this stage of eye development the baby is rolling over, scooting around and viewing objects and movements in the horizon. If the baby is not accomplishing these mobility milestones it will affect the visual development. As depth perception opens up the baby will begin to reach out and find objects. The primary grasp develops here also in manual function as the baby discovers depth and reach.

Pleoptic therapy Pleoptic therapy was used in WW II to rehabilitate flash blinded soldiers. It is used today in cases where the macular vision is under-developed, where the vision is hyper-peripheral, with flash blindness and even strabismus correction.

The macular vision refers to “central detail vision” or in other words, the vision directly in front of your face. When you have a photo taken often the flash from the camera temporarily blinds you because the central detail vision center, the macula, of your eye is temporarily over-stimulated and the brain tunes the macular vision down. When the macular vision of the eye is poorly developed or severely over-stimulated, as in the case of flash blindness, this therapy helps to normalize the macular vision.

Conversely, in the use of pleoptic therapy, the peripheral vision is over-stimulated temporarily and the macula now has the opportunity to develop because of the toning down of the peripheral vision. This gives the macula intense opportunity to develop.

To perform this therapy you will need to purchase an incandescent flashlight that uses size D batteries. Glue a penny onto the exact center of the flashlight lens using a small dab of silicone. Turn on the flashlight and practice focusing the shadow of the penny on your hand at about 6 inches away. The best focused shadow of the penny on your hand is the optimal distance you will use to perform this therapy with the child.

Set a timer for two minutes and press start. With the child relaxed and eyes open quickly sweep the beam of the flashlight from the side of the face and over one eye. Place the shadow of the penny exactly over the iris (the colored area) of the eye. Count three seconds and sweep the beam back off of the eye. Count ten seconds and sweep the beam from the other side of the face to the center of the other eye. Hold the shadow of the penny over the iris of that eye for three seconds. At the end of three seconds sweep the beam back off of the eye. Count ten more seconds and repeat the sequence with the first eye for three seconds and keep alternating eyes for the duration of the two minute therapy.

Repeat therapy as many times a day as recommended on the therapy sheet. Waiting at least one hour between pleoptic therapy sessions is best.