“Before vision therapy, reading and comprehension never came easy for me. I always had to reread the same passage 3 or 4 times before understanding. As a college student, this made studying quite difficult and tiring. Today I am a whole new person. I am enjoying reading more now than ever. Studying is a lot easier and I am a lot faster all around. I couldn’t have imagined how much of a difference vision could make. I am forever thankful.”
— Chelsy, age 20
“In 2005 I was deployed to Iraq by the 32ned Engineer Co. out of Onalaska, WI. During my tour of duty, an IED struck the vehicle that I was operating. Although I walked away from the blast, the violence of the shock wave had caused an unfelt injury within my head. It took many years for the signs and symptoms form the bombing to fully manifest themselves physically within my brain. When I returned to college, after the deployment, I began to notice that I couldn’t retain information as well as I thought that I could beforehand. It took me much more time to complete the rigorous homework that my professors demanded from their students. Some nights, I would lay awake while reading a simple excerpt from an academic journal for several hours in order to get a general understanding of what I was reading. I began to feeling upset with myself. I couldn’t grasp some of the concepts that I was being presented within the text books that I was supposed to read outside of class. To make matter worse, my eye-teaming seemed to be getting so bad that I didn’t want to operate a motor vehicle anymore either. I went four years of my life without getting behind the wheel of a car!
I remember that it took a lot of work and I had to build time into my already busy schedule in order to do the exercises required to get my vision back to “what it was.”. However, my therapy session with the staff three times a week, as well as my own hard work at home finally started paying off. I am a better reader, a better writer, and a happier person after completing Dr. Wonderling’s Vision Therapy Academy curriculum. Furthermore, I praise Dr. Wonderling for taking the time to get to know me as a person as well as a patient. She assisted me in compiling a great deal of research on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) outside of my therapy sessions. Her extra effort directly assisted me in my pursuit to get the VA to recognize that I had been exposed to a TBI during my time in service.
I have nothing but great things to say about the Vision Therapy Academy. I would strongly recommend them for anyone who as experienced at TBI, or is suffering from a recurring eye issue.”
— Eddy, vision therapy patient with TBI
“What is impossible? It is something that cannot be done. For most people it is impossible to go to the ocean. For me, it was to regain my visual memory. The doctors told me that I would never regain my visual memory or peripheral vision. I am missing partial vision because I had brain surgery in fifth grade. As an after effect of the surgery, I had chronic migraines that would last days on end. I would spend hours in urgent care to days in the hospital. After going to the same doctors, doing the same tests, missing one hundred and one days of school, my parents knew it was time to look elsewhere. They were interested in what Dr. Wonderling did. I started doing eye therapy at Vision Therapy Academy with Laura. After a week or two I felt terrible. But one thing I learned from all the doctors is that it gets worse before it gets better. I imprinted that into my mind and pushed myself to school and to more sessions. Through the months of eye therapy I regained all my visual memory and most of my peripheral vision. Now I am impressed that I was barely able to go and stay at school and now I can read impressively fast. Laura always kept me calm. She told me that with my determination, motivation, and their help, I will get it done. I indeed get it finished. I have always loved to read but it was always so hard to read and not fall asleep or get a migraine. Since eye therapy, I have been able to read several books and not be tired after reading and I am able to read faster. I am also able to comprehend what I read easier. Knowing so, I will be attending college in Colorado. I will be able to go to school, do schoolwork, and have fun without the worry of migraines.”
— Cricket, age 18
“I have been treating at Vision Therapy Academy for a traumatic brain injury (TBI). After my TBI, I was seeing double and couldn’t track. Reading and driving were nearly impossible. I was dizzy all of the time and being outside and in large department stores made me want to vomit. My headaches were daily and often migrainous. I had seen a number of doctors, been through headache and TBI clinics, and endured numerous tests and physical therapies, none of which produced quick or effective results. I was fortunate to hear about Vision Therapy Academy and began treatment with Jen. All of the ladies at the academy are very friendly and listen with care and attention. They work on continuing their education to best suit the needs of their patients. Their abilities and service have changed my life after my TBI. Therapy has retrained my brain to track objects, converge, read, drive, and essentially feel human again. My headaches have lessened and I have even been to the top of the Space Needle and walked a suspension bridge… big accomplishments for someone who couldn’t stand to be outside and was too dizzy for heights. I would like to thank Dr. Wonderling and her wonderful staff for their incredibly positive influence in my life!”
— Alison, vision therapy patient with TBI