My benefits plan helped cover a significant cost to my family, which allowed my son to get the vision treatment he needed.

My middle child struggled in school since day one. My husband and I thought that one part of his struggle was that we had enrolled him in French immersion. Learning a new language is hard. He was struggling so much, even with the interventions and supports the school put in place, he was shutting down in class. We decided to switch him to the English program for grade 2.

My son transferred to a new school and we saw some improvements, but he was still struggling. The school said my son needed his annual eye exam before they could decide upon any further supports. We discussed the eye exam results with the school and they suggested that he go for a few more assessments, including a “binocular vision assessment.” This assessment tests for more vision issues that may not be picked up during a regular eye exam.

The optometrist discovered that my son had several areas of visual deficiency. The good news? Vision therapy can strengthen his vision. The bad news? The treatments are expensive and would add a significant cost to our household budget. To treat his vision, my son needed weekly therapy sessions and four optometrist visits.

Thankfully, my employee benefits plan was there for me and my son. Co-ordination of my benefits with my husband’s plan covered the cost of his therapy and optometrist visits. This helped our family focus on my son’s treatment so that he could focus in school.

I am happy to say that he has completed all the vision therapy sessions and graduated from the program. We have noticed big changes! I am so grateful for our employee benefits plan because it is helping set my son up to have the best life he possibly can.

If you have questions about your benefit plan, call 3sHealth at 1.866.278.2301 or email ebp@3sHealth.ca.