Success stories

“When Ava began vision therapy she was struggling quite a bit with reading. She would struggle to sound out a word and if she was able to pronounce it she could not retain it. She also would complain about her eyes hurting and could not focus. Reading became an activity we did not look forward to.

After six months of therapy Ava is doing better. She has been very good at doing her exercises and has gained confidence in her ability to read. She has also noticed it has helped her memorize words and the alphabet; as this was something she simply could not retain prior to vision therapy.

One more unexpected thing I noticed was in her coordination. Ava was constantly tripping and falling, or running into things. I have noticed a significant decrease in this behavior.

We are grateful there is something available to help people overcome obstacles to learning so they can grow in confidence and wisdom. Thank you Dr. Wonderling and all the employees that make this possible.”

-Brenda, mother of Ava age 10

“Back in March, 2016 I slipped on some ice and fell, I didn’t hit my head, I didn’t lose consciousness. After a couple of weeks I started to notice symptoms; being fuzzy cognitively and blurry vision, lights and noise sensitivity, headaches, dizziness, balance issues, feeling tired, and nausea. After a month of weekly visits, I was diagnosed post-concussion and mild traumatic brain injury. I was referred to the Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic, who then referred me for physical therapy for neck pain, optometry for prism glasses, and vestibular therapy for vertigo. Due to a disagreement with workman’s compensation, all referrals were stopped for a few months. During this time, my symptoms had not improved one bit. In August, I was desperate for some relief, at that time, my wife made phone calls, did research and reached out. We were sitting on the fence about prism glasses, our son had completed vision therapy years ago and we knew it helped. The Vision Therapy Academy is not a part of our health system and the TBI doctor was really pushing their optometrist and prism glasses. I set up an exam with their optometrist and a vision exam and visual efficiency exam with VTA. After the results from both and first hand Q & A’s, I decided therapy was the route for me. I understood that therapy wasn’t going to be easy, my exam results were worse than I anticipated. At that point in time, it was hard for me to explain what my eyes were doing and I didn’t have any control, they did their own thing. At the evaluation, I got very sick and worn out. I didn’t at that time understand that the majority of my symptoms were vision related.  My evaluation had to be split between 2 days, it was that rough. Dr. Wonderling informed me that every symptom she could create while evaluating, she could take away. This gave me hope! I signed up for 12 weeks, 2x a week and did the homework the other 5 days a week.

Prior to starting treatment, I had blurry vision 24/7, I got car sick, couldn’t drive, couldn’t watch TV, couldn’t track when reading, couldn’t process what I was trying to read, I had double vision, daily headaches, couldn’t shop, couldn’t manage the simplest of housekeeping chores, I got sick at every meal as nausea and dizziness severely limited my activities and daily showering and dressing were difficult. I started therapy with Jennifer, the first few sessions were difficult, I maybe lasted 20 minutes before my fatigue and nausea would set in. Eventually I was able to do the whole session.  The syntonic phototherapy helped me get better sleep at night, I was finally sleeping a full night after 5 months. I quit getting car sick, I no longer had to nap immediately after the appointment. Showering and daily chores got easier. I no longer had daily headaches, my dizziness had subsided, no more balance issues, and I wasn’t as tired or fatigued and was able to start cardio exercises with a treadmill and elliptical.

At my 12 week evaluations, there was a huge difference, I completed the testing in one day, there was significate improvement and I happily signed up for another 12 weeks. I am able to help with dinner, dishes, laundry, and other daily chores. My eyes and brain are now communicating. I can drive for 20-30 minutes. I can go shopping. I enjoyed learning about my eyes, what they do, how they do it. I’ve learned to control my eye movements. My PCS and TBI are still an issue cognitively but my quality of life has vastly improved and my sense of humor is back, thanks to VTA.”

—Julio, vision therapy patient with TBI

“After months of being shuffled through the medical industry with little to no explanations or answers of complications from a TBI, I was referred to the Vision Therapy Academy.  Dr. Wonderling was the first medical professional to explain what test she was doing, why, what the results meant, and created a personalized plan to help me heal.  I was consistently impressed with the clear communication between the staff.  For the first time since my accident I felt hope because I had finally found a facility that genuinely concentrates on healing the patient instead of the symptom. 

I cannot praise the vision therapists enough.  They are patient, kind, and still push you to challenge yourself.  They are knowledgeable and also eager to learn in order to help you heal.  They never give up on you nor do they let you give up on yourself.  As a TBI patient, you know how frightening and surreal your reality can seem, the Vision Therapy Academy is the one treatment facility where I felt my best interests were the sole focus of treatment. The staff is credible, professional, and truly patient focused.  Without hesitation, I can say that I am recovering because of the Vision Therapy Academy.”

— Janna, vision therapy patient with TBI

“When Carter started vision therapy, he was wearing new glasses and still struggling to read and see in school.  He struggled in soccer and baseball. Carter commented that it was hard for him to see the ball coming from across the field and catching a fly ball was even harder. My nephew had done vision therapy a few years ago and experienced success so I thought Carter should give it a try. We had been consulting an eye surgeon but I wanted to try therapy first. Carter worked very hard throughout his course.  I was amazed at the difference it has made in his life and in his schoolwork. His grades have improved and he has less homework too because he can keep up at school.  Amazing experience!”

— Pauline, mother of Carter age 9