When I first started visual therapy in May I felt like everything I was doing was impossible and I thought it would never get easier. Patching was really hard in the beginning. I would put the patch on and I could barely get my eye to focus just to see because of the nystagmus (from my albinism) and I was having trouble trying to do the activities. It still isn’t easy but I can tell that the nystagmus has calmed down some. My right eye has been harder to control than my left eye. Before I started my balance was terrible, almost nonexistent. Trying to get a syntonic measurement was hard and would take a few minutes to get my eyes to focus enough to be able to see.

My peripheral vision started opening up pretty quickly but it took me a while to be aware that it was opening. I think the first time I really noticed what I was able to see was in July. I was actually sitting in church on Sunday morning and there was a light off to the side that was flickering and I was able to see it. It was actually really distracting:) That was the beginning of me being aware of all the things I could see because of the peripheral vision that was opening up.

It was around that time or maybe into August that I started to notice the nystagmus slowing down a little. I was starting to be able to control my eyes better than I was before and I was starting to see success with the activities and stuff that I was doing while I was patching.

In October I started going to a Bible college in Oregon and that was a hard transition. The first month especially was stressful and I didn’t get much sleep. Stress and lack of sleep have always been two big triggers for my nystagmus and while that was still there I know my nystagmus would have been a lot worse if I had been going through all of that before starting therapy..

I have been doing simple balance exercises while I do syntonics and I have been being more intentional about working on my balance and I have noticed that it has gotten a lot better. Before I started it was so bad that I couldn’t even stand on one foot. But it has gotten so much better.

Before I started therapy I couldn’t write in a straight line on a blank unlined piece of paper. At church a couple weeks ago all I had to take notes on was a blank unlined piece of paper and I noticed that I was able to write in a straight line. I had to work at it but I was able to. I can read the slides that the teachers have for us in class and as long as the print isn’t super tiny or a weird color I can read the words. I have even seen improvement on how I am able to read the slides since the beginning of October when I started school. Wednesday nights we have a worship time where we sing worship songs and I usually try to be in the front so I can read the words that are put up on the projectors. Last Wednesday I came in late and was in the back which is a ways away from the screen. I was able to make out the words. It was a little hard to get my eyes to focus but I was able to and read the songs. I know I wouldn’t have been able to do that without therapy.

We got home from picking Cana up from daycare around 4:00 where the light outside was still bright. Cana played with magnets on the window(which obviously didn't stick) while using her syntonics. We then went into town to Subway to eat. Cana sat so good the entire time. I asked her how her day was at daycare and what she played. She told me she played "Miscellaneous." I have never expected to hear such a large word come out of a little mouth and it sure made me smile! When we got home, Cana was looking through a look and find. I noticed that she was not struggling to look out the top of her eyes. Her studying the pages looked natural.

Happy to report about my daughter:
-Improved coordination & less accident prone. Loves soccer.
-Significant improvement in handwriting.
-More patience when working through math word problems (with multiple steps).
-While reading is still “robotic” and slow, Charlotte does a much better job with harder words. Before they were a complete impasse.
-Often cleans up room with organization with little or no prompting.
-Creatively makes up songs… about random things.

"After 1 month of Syntonics, I've noticed that Waylon's eyes don't go outward/in the opposite direction of one another as much as they previously did. I haven’t noticed one eye getting “stuck” in quite a while. By stuck I mean one eye staying in the outward position while his other eye is straight, and moving in alignment with the object he is focusing on. Which is AWESOME, and makes me super excited!!! Aside from that he has started saying a lot of new words, and even puts 2-3 of the new words together to make small sentences! Such as, “Baby go night night.”, “I go see ma”, “The ball red”.

We have been using Syntonics for only 1 WEEK and already noticing a difference in my son's eye alignment. I’m so thankful we found you and I wish so bad we had known before we ever tried surgery. I'm shocked we are seeing progress in only a week.

Since beginning Syntonics, Lisa was able to cut out paper hearts for her daughter to glue on her school valentine box. This is yet another task she thought she would never be able to do again because of her stroke and vision loss.

Hello everyone and thank you for letting me share my story again with bunch of updates. English isn’t my native language so forgive me for any funny mistakes.

My doctors believed, and told me, that 3D vision can only be learned until a specific age. I always had thought that it was not true and when I read Fixing my gaze from Susan Barry at first time, my thinking got confirmation. This was my reality until things began to change in the year of 2017.

A Little Of My Background

I was born in Austria and moved to Finland when I was 5 years old. I have had a lazy eye (alternating esotropia with dissociated vertical deviation) since I was six months old. I’ve had four total operations as a child and an adult here in Finland. The third surgery, in 2004, left me with double vision. It wasn’t until 2017, when I had my fourth surgery followed by vision therapy, that I gained stereovision and fusion.

Before 2017, I saw my environment as in a photo without any depth perception at all. My doctors believed, and told me, that 3D vision can only be learned until a specific age. The doctors always thought that I would be too old to learn it and told me it would be impossible for me to ever gain 3D vision.

The Influence Of The Book Fixing My Gaze

Luckily, for me, and for patients around the world, Dr. Susan Barry challenged the old science and way of thinking. Her book has served as an information of Vision therapy.

For years I doubted this. I wondered, “Why can’t someone learn to see binocularly as an adult?” Then, I read Susan Barry’s book "Fixing My Gaze". Luckily, for me, and for patients around the world, Dr. Susan Barry challenged the old science and way of thinking. Her explanations of neuroplasticity made sense! I understood the brain controlled my vision, not just my eye muscles. I learned there was hope and I could do rehabilitative vision therapy. I had to search for more information myself and luckily, I never gave up.

The Influence of Vivid Vision To Boost Starting In A Vision Therapy Program

Vivid Vision has been one of the reasons why I am here now! I was finally able to experience 3D vision for myself after my final surgery in 2017 and subsequent vision therapy. I went through the Vivid Vision therapy program with the Oculus Rift from 2017-2019 under the supervision of Dr Julie Steinhauer and Vision For Life & Success. She also prescribed other therapy activities in addition to Vivid Vision. For example, I used the Bernell-O-Scope as well as red-green glasses, flipper prism lenses, Syntonic filter light therapy, and Brock string.

As a result of my final surgery and vision therapy, a whole new world opened for me! It was a different way to see and when I saw for the first time the layers of depth in trees, my eyes became filled with happy tears. I could not believe my eyes. My long-wished dream came true!

My local opticians here in Finland have followed me even after I graduated from vision therapy in 2018. They test my binocular vision and abilities using multiple tests. I now have a positive stereofly test and TNO test for example.

Dream To Help Others With Same Problems And Plans For The Future 

As a result of my experience, I decided that I want to help others in the same situation. I am currently pursuing rehabilitation and Bachelor of Social Services degree with the hopes of eventually becoming a vision therapist. I've had the opportunity to do some optometry courses in the open university of applied sciences here in Finland. Vivid Vision among Vision therapy program has been one of the reasons why I am here now! I never thought this form of life which I’m living now to be possible. It feels like being in a roller coaster ride with ups and downs and learning new things in environment and in studies. It feels so unbelievable to be able to study again and read tons of books and write texts with computer.

I am also getting excited because this spring I am going to my first trainee for 2,5 months in the studies of social services. I am going to do for example multicultural work in a classroom in addition to project with young adults. Becoming a specialist of multicultural work is one of my biggest dreams among plans to be vision therapist, health scientist, or rehabilitation counselor. It would also be cool to find my way into studies of health science at university in medical faculty. I am also willing to be part of projects related to vision therapy and eye problems. Some day it would be cool to work in our hospital with eye patients advising them and establish a vision therapy program here.

Jai does reading every day when he gets back from school from the inside of the car. When we started this vision therapy, at first he could not read anything on the eye chart with his current glasses but now he can read the full eye chart with -3.75 lenses. His lens power has already reduced from -4.75 to -3.75 and now we are getting ready to move to a -3.50 lens. It's been 10 weeks since we started my Phase 1 with Syntonics for improving Jai's eyesight and lens prescription.

It's been 13 weeks since my Dad started Phase 1 with Syntonics for visual field loss after stroke. My dad hasn't noticed anything new this week but did so around November - December, his double vision is starting to align but still has a blind spot on his peripheral vision.

When I first had my stroke, I couldn't see very well at all, it was very blurry. I had absolutely no depth perception and very very restricted vision. I couldn't see anything on my left and reading was almost impossible. I could not drive, which I still can't, but I'm getting closer. Now I am able to read a lot easier, I am able to work again, luckily from home. I am able to take walks and cross the street a lot easier, and walk around in the store without worrying about getting lost. It's getting easier every day to see more and more around me, it may not be crystal clear, or even completely in my sight, but I am aware it's there and see something as before, I didn't see anything. I couldn't even see myself in the mirror. I could not comprehend or figure out what I was even looking at. Luckily with therapy all that has changed. I am able to do everything by myself without having to worry about depending on everyone else. It is a lot of hard work, but I am determined to drive again. It's my ultimate goal. I truly am blessed to have found Dr Steinhauer, Cheri Bagwell, and everyone at Vision For Life & Success. I am definitely able to see more now than I ever thought I would ever be able to see again.  Especially after every other doctor told me all the vision that I regained in the first 6-9 months after my stroke is all the vision I would ever get back, and there was nothing I could do about it. I am going to keep doing my therapy and exercises until I can drive. I will get there soon. Thanks again for everything.

It's been 6 weeks since I started my Phase 1 with Syntonics for my visual field loss after my stroke. In the lower right quadrant of my right eye, if there is high contrast (like while doing syntonics and there is a light source) I notice that I can see my hand if I put it there but it's not very defined, it's fuzzy. I'm not sure if I would know what it was if I didn't already know it was my hand, but I know for sure I am actually seeing something!

It's been 3 weeks since I started my Phase 1 with Syntonics for my optic atrophy.This week, I have noticed that both my severe blurriness is starting to get a little less blurry, and I am also continuously seeing that my color vision is starting to be a bit more clear. I am starting to see items from afar, even though it still blurry I am able to slowly focus and see the outline of them.

UPDATE--
This far, I have noticed that slowly but surely progress in my blurriness of vision is progressing in decreasing. I am noticing that objects that were unrecognizable severely due to blurriness are starting to become recognizable. I am noticing outlines and am able to see things without feeling for them as much. I am also noticing as watching television it is not completely a big blur. I am starting to see objects or people move on the TV screen and follow it. It is still a little harder to recognize what I am watching completely as before but I am  positive and see much progress as I have been able to actually enjoy watching a movie and seeing much better of the objects as I did prior to starting.  I am also slowly starting to be able to read some words on my phone without having to enlarge them. This process of reading words again is slowly changing but I am seeing somewhat of a slight change this flight.

UPDATE--
His particular week was good as well. I noticed that progress is still moving along quite well slowly and surely. I am now working my eyes more and watching TV to focus on the television screen and try to see what I am able to recognize. I’m extremely hopeful and also have tested myself In maneuvering in the dark and it has been quite different from previous times. I am actually able to see some objects in the dark within my house such as the stairs and railing without turning on the light immediately. This is a big step for me and I know that it will only get better over time.

UPDATE--
This week was fantastic. I truly see a difference coming along slowly but surely and I am very encouraged. One milestone that I truly was able to recognize was I put down a vitamin tablet on my clear table and was actually able to see it before attempting to feel for it. This has been amazing because of how small it is and I was able to actually see it. I also was able to take another Zumba class and was able to follow along even better than I did a couple of weeks ago. I am truly excited to see such progress that is coming along. I also was able to differentiate and decipher flower colors that were brought into my home, the colors yellow and purple. The colors were able to pop a little more rather than being kind of washed out and foggy. I truly am excited thus far.

After 10 weeks of syntonics for reducing myopia and astigmatism, days when I don't do them I feel like I haven't actually woken up. Like when I do the syntonics it feels like someone has hit the refresh button on my eyes.

I love the therapy, my eyes just see much better after them and it gives me a boost for the day.

*Name changed at the request of the patient

Tim* has been severely visually impaired following his brain injury 6 years ago. We were told that there was not much hope of his vision improving. He had little control over his eye movements and couldn’t see very much at all.

We feel very blessed to have come across your service. We have been following the home program you gave us for a few months now and although some of the exercises have been a challenge for Tim*, we have already started to see changes in his vision.

For example, he is pointing things out to me as we are out and about - things that he never saw or noticed before. ‘There’s a red car’ or ‘I just saw someone on a bike’. He gets so happy when he sees these things. Even at home, he says ‘mum I just saw you pick up your phone’. His vision just seems to be slowly opening up.
We know he still has a journey ahead of him but we have so much hope now. We’re excited to see how much more progress he can make. Thank you so much!

*Names changed at the request of the patient

After 10 weeks of syntonic light therapy, Cyiah read her first book to me. She was incredibly excited. She seems more and more interested in reading. Writing letters look more like they should as well. 

Vision therapy has helped my vision a lot! I want to keep going. My vision is more clear. It has increased my two eyes working together!

I'm 24 and have congenital nystagmus. I finished my seven weeks of therapy with Vision for Life. I can already tell that my vision is improving. I didn't used to go around the house or go for a walk without my glasses but now I feel comfortable walking without my glasses. Before when I used to see the stuff that is closer to me, it was blurry but now it's more clear. I didn't enjoy reading books because of headaches and eye strain after 20 minutes of reading but now I can read for hours without any problems and now I enjoy reading. I am really happy that I can at least read now learn something new every day and build my confidence. All my life, I thought there was no hope but when I found out about Vision for Life I was so happy. A massive thank you to Vision for Life!!  I am excited to continue my therapy and cannot wait to see the end result.

Since starting vision therapy after my stroke, my eyesight is better, I have less headaches, my visual field is improved and I no longer see blank or black spots on people’s faces, I can see the "ticker tape" information on the tv and I am more comfortable using my cell phone more these days!

This is my weekly update with Kush. It’s been a good week for him and his syntonics. I’m starting to notice a lot of changes with him and I’m strongly feeling it is related to the therapy.

Kush never really used to hold his water bottle or drink water. He just refused at any cost...just this week that had changed.

He also now is aware if there is a stair or a step going up. He used to try crawling over it to get around but now he will take a step. That's a huge improvement for him.

Also, Kush is more alert... he’s more focused and will stare at me when trying to babble to me. Seems like he’s closer to talking because he is trying to communicate with us in some way. It’s still a concern of mine but I feel like he’s on his way to talking. Really hoping before his 2nd birthday.

As for his eye alignment. Wow...just wow. He is looking aligned when looking straight for longer periods of time now. He could always do it but just lost focus...now it seems he doesn’t need to focus as much to do but rather his alignment is happening naturally. It’s a noticeable change because he now tries to watch tv without having to tilt his
head to one side. It’s a noticeable change that my husband and I have noticed this week. Yes, he does have times when he’s not aligned but he picks up quickly to change it.

I won’t lie, the surrogate method was really out of my comfort zone. I do know it was making a change with me... but I wasn’t sure if it was doing anything to him because he’s sleeping while I’m touching his feet and looking at the light. I know that it is still early but I feel like this change is making me more positive.

This week has brought me so much joy and hope. As a parent with a child who had a third nerve palsy/strabismus, I felt depressed, sad and worried. I was thinking this must have been my fault. Already prepping for my child to have difficulty at school or maybe even having bullies. Even though that may happen, this week has changed my perception on all of that. It brings tears to my eyes. - Just thought I would share.

Vision therapy has helped my vision a lot! I want to keep going. My vision is clearer and therapy has increased the ability for my two eyes to work together.

Our son was born dead and had a rough start with Hepatitis B vacks-seens on day 1 at the hospital. He never looked at us and smiled and his eyes were jumping all around without any control. When he was around 5 months old, we had him check by the eye doctor in Portugal, they couldn't find anything on his retina, but his optical nerve was short and thin. I googled and searched up a lot on the Internet and then I came across a video of Dr. Julie on YouTube where she mentioned kids that have eye problems after taking vacks-seens. I then stopped completely with that method since my child was 6 months old, and he has not taken anymore vacks-seens. I contacted Vision For Life & Success and started up the eye therapy and the syntonic light therapy. We had Tammy as our contact person and guide throughout the therapy.

We had some fantastic results and we are planning to continue doing the syntonic light therapy. After some MR scans of his head they found a cyst on his Pituitary gland. So we also started doing some homeopathy treatment to drain out the toxins. Oliver is doing great now. He looks at us and smiles, he catches his toys, he can see small objects like dust on the floor. We are so happy for all the help and guidance we have received. If it wasn't for vision therapy, I really don't know if Oliver would see at all today, now we know he can see quite a lot. He is just 2 years old, so it is hard to know exactly how far and what he can see. But it is getting better and better. I highly recommend Vision For Life & Success.

My eyes are in alignment with my contacts, in which is an improvement from the last few years. My crossed eye is my left when my contacts are out. Now it’s straight without contacts. My right eye goes in a bit but the light therapy is helping to correct that.

I was always crossed eye in selfies but since I retired in 2017 that seems to be corrected now. Maybe someday I will always see the 3D!

We found Vision for Life while scrolling the internet when we were concerned, though our son had glasses, he could not see.  Homework seemed to take hours and his emotions were always out of control.  We felt, as parents, his prescription lenses were high power and knew something needed to be done for him to be able to see better and lower that power.  After our first check (after 8 weeks of therapy), we were amazed and grateful for his progress and results.

It has been a commitment, with lots of hours and tears but we cannot thank Dr. Julie and Sherry for their dedication to our son’s care.

When Lydia started VT she had many coordination issues, trouble in school identifying letters and numbers. I am happy to report she is now able to peddle a bike, jump on one leg, and do jumping jacks. Ms. Tammy has been amazing and we think of her as family. Thank you for being so wonderful to my sweet girl.

Vision for Life has helped me with my reading and I know my left and my rights better. My hand eye coordination with softball has improved. I can write in a straight line. I have more confidence in all areas and my memory has improved. I enjoy reading more and my reading comprehension has grown. Thank you to Vision for Life for helping me see better.

Mya’s reading comprehension has improved! Her improved awareness of the right and left side of her body and having them work together (that we didn’t even realize she struggled with before therapy)! Right and left discrimination has improved and Mya’s reading stamina has improved!

Brian, my son, started Vision Therapy in 4^th grade. About 5 weeks in, I wanted to shout out to the world that I had received the best Christmas gift ever because for the first time Brian followed along in the hymnal at church through the whole service without me reminding him. There has been no reverting back. All of a sudden he was able to follow along and participate and has had no trouble since. He is doing it on his own. Also, his teachers no longer say that he zones out in class anymore. He is better at doing math fact sheets, those ones with 100 problems. He has better coordination. He has better attention and less melt-downs. Brian doesn’t get upset as easily anymore and he doesn’t give up anymore. He can spend long durations doing homework. He follows directions better.

In this review, I will share you my excellent experience of Vision therapy with Vision for Life!

I started therapy when I was 8 years old, I had a problem called “Double Vision and Convergence Insufficiency” from birth. This caused me to have an extreme headache and not be able to enjoy my best hobbies like reading, I struggled a lot with learning, and I couldn’t enjoy any sports. It was this problem that my parents decided to book me in for Vision therapy. I was so excited that finally my eyes would get better, since I was suffering so much. Therapy was so hard and difficult at first, but with so much encouragement and motivation from Cheri (my therapist), I got accustomed to it. I had these daily, weird activities which I would spend only 20 minutes on and then I would update Cheri each week, about these activities. They strained my eyes, yet it was fun!

Therapy has helped me so much, now in the second unit of my section, I use eye charts and do incredible things which I have never dreamt of doing before! Standing without my glasses at least 6 feet away from my letter chart and reading it now, whereas when I started, I couldn’t read it at a quarter of a foot! Soon, I’ll be able to read tiny writing at ten feet!

I would highly recommend this therapy to anyone having vision problems, major or minor. I hope you also will be able to benefit from therapy and have normal vision just like everybody else! Also, I learnt, great effort will lead you to success, no matter how hard, DON’T EVER GIVE UP, YOU WILL MAKE IT IF YOU TRY!

We heard about Vision for Life from a teacher at our school that had a student going through therapy. I reached out to this parent and asked some questions. Within a week, I had a assessment scheduled at Vision for Life.

When Kelsie started Vision for Life. She was very frustrated with reading and comprehension and it would take hours to complete homework. At the initial assessment, Dr.Julie took one look at Kelsie and said she had Strabismus. Dr. Julie could see this with her sitting in the chair. Kelsie was also wearing glasses that were too strong for her and this was messing with her depth perception. Kelsie’s eyes were not reading left to right. She would come back to the second word. She was working so hard to get the words correct she was unable to comprehend what she read. After three months of therapy, Kelsie was out of her glasses. As she continued therapy, Kelsie’s confidence increased and she now enjoys reading more. This is not only true for her schoolwork, but also in sports. Since her depth perception improved, she is able to play goalie more for her soccer team. We are working on multiple year gap in reading comprehension, but it is improving every quarter. The last year has been a time commitment, but we feel this has been a lifesaver for her future.

A special thank you to Kelsie’s therapist Tammy C., who was Kelsie’s cheerleader helping her and encouraging her to keep pushing. We appreciate your dedication and help along the way.

We are forever thankful for Vision for Life.

 

 

 

 

When Jaxon began Vision Therapy, I was frustrated with the lack of answers as to why he was struggling, especially with reading.  ADHD and dyslexia were brought up along with a possible learning disability.  After the initial assessment with Dr. Julie, it was surprising to hear that he actually had a problem with his vision!  After completing the program, Jaxon has an easier time reading.  He is not making the constant letter and number reversals either.  Although he remains an energetic little boy, I feel he is also more focused.  Having answers to help my son that did not involve giving him a pill to calm him down is the best gift we could have received.  We thank Dr. Julie and Ms. Sherry and everyone else on the team for helping Jaxon to really see the world he is surrounded by.

 

Before coming to Vision for Life, we always thought Evie was just accident prone and clumsy.  No one knew her depth perception was nonexistent.  No one knew that her field of vision was only the width of a drinking straw.  That all changed after meeting with Dr. Julie and her staff.  Over the last 12 months, Evie has transformed into an entirely different child.  Her loveable and goofy personality is still here but gone is the timid, uncertain, wall colliding kiddo who dreaded doing vertical math problems because “the numbers jumped around”.  Evie’s ability to focus with her eyes has grown exponentially.  Her rate of car sickness now hardly ever happens anymore.  The six-year-old who would fall off her bike with training wheels while being stationary is now riding her bike without training wheels full speed!  Playing basketball is now a source of enjoyment rather than frustration (dribbling is easier to focus on as well as the backboard).  Evie wants to practice the piano now because she doesn’t get lost anymore when looking at the music to checking her finger placement.  The list goes on.  My husband and I are so grateful for this opportunity to help improve the confidence, safety, and future life that Evie now has to look forward to because she has received the necessary help her vision needed.

A special thank you to her therapist, Sherry T., who week after week was a constant help.  Her encouragement and commitment to Evie’s progress is evident because of the growth that Evie has accomplished.

We are forever thankful for Vision for Life.

 

Prior to Vision Therapy, Ziva seemed to be my clumsy child who was oblivious to the world around her. We discovered her inability to cross her eyes by accident when she told us she couldn’t cross her eyes like the kids at school. We also noticed when we would point out animals or buildings while driving which she seemed never to be able to see and would get frustrated to the point of tears. While reading she never seemed to look at the words but more at the pictures to try to depict the story. Reading books was never enjoyable for her unless I was reading to her. When we met with Dr. Julie and her team, we found that Ziva had convergence disorder, decreased peripheral vision, and mono ocular vision. Thankfully Dr. Julie explained what the diagnoses were and gave us a plan of action to improve Ziva’s deficits.

It has been a year since starting Vision Therapy and we have seen great improvement with her reading, focus, as well as improved emotional outburst. Ziva is so proud of herself to be able to read books with her sister, cross her eyes, and she sees objects at a distance. The other night she informed us that she is able to see all around her (increased peripheral vision). Ziva still occasionally runs into items but not as before and she is able to sit at a meal most nights without falling out of her chair which has improved meal times greatly. We even noticed she doesn’t have random bruising that she doesn’t
remember running into anything. Ziva is more confident than before when it comes to her school work and reading aloud. We also notice that her attitude has improved from being hard on herself to having more confidence. She is faster with her school work and we have learned she is a visual learner which helps us to teach her new material. As mentioned above she is less clumsy as well as better at hitting a target such as aiming an arrow at a target or shooting basketballs. Also we have noticed she doesn’t suffer as much from motion sickness. If it wasn’t for a devastated 6 year old telling us she couldn’t cross her eyes, we wouldn’t have known there was an issue early on. I am thankful our daughter was brave to tell us she couldn’t cross her eyes which led us to calling Dr. Julie. We are grateful and thankful for all the help, patience, teaching, sessions and words of encouragement for both Ziva and I to help us through our therapy journey. To someone just beginning Ziva and I want to tell you, “You can do this! It will help you! You got this!”

Thank you Vision for Life!!!

Since starting vision therapy, I can tell my left eye is getting stronger. I can more easily do the exercises and read a chart from farther away. I am hopeful for my continued improvement.

I have had some improvements in my vision after only 6 months of vision therapy. These are the improvements I notice:

Vision of the left eye has improved at near and far distance. Now I can see things with my left eye that before I couldn't.

I also notice a huge increase in my visual field in both eyes. This has helped me a lot in my daily life.

Recently, I have also noticed a decrease of anxiety.  I used to feel a lot of anxiety. I always thought that this was due to astigmatism in my right eye.

I am 28 years old and excited to continue my therapy.

Just over two years ago, a virus attacked my optic nerve, resulting in the loss of sight in my right eye. After months of treatment and the realization that the vision could not be restored, I began to look for someone who could help me adjust to seeing with only one eye. About that time, I saw an article in the paper about Vision For Life. I called immediately and met with Dr. julie to discuss my condition and possible treatment. It turned out to be just the help I needed. Simple day-to-day jobs, like pouring a cup of coffee or driving my car, had become difficult. I felt clumsy and disoriented when I went into public places like grocery or department stores. I also had difficulty reading, which was perhaps the most difficult and frustrating thing of all. I knew I had to try, if not to improve my blind eye, at least to adjust to living with it, so I decided to go through the therapy. It takes patience and determination to commit to the program. But, for me, it was worth the time and effort. I fell much more aware of the space I'm in, therefore, much more confident when I'm in public places. I no longer struggle with problems like pouring coffee or walking into people. My peripheral vision has improved, allowing me to feel safer and more comfortable driving. And I can also read much better. Dr. Julie and her wonderful staff have been immensely supportive, patient, and knowledgeable throughout this process. I am so grateful to have found them.

Before therapy, my 10 year old daughter couldn't tell left from right, couldn't read maps/graphs/charts, couldn't tell time, couldn't tie her shoes, couldn't count coins, couldn't line up her words or math problems, and would always tilt her head to one side and obstruct that eye. She described her vision as "bubbly."

After 45 weeks of vision therapy, my daughter can not only do all the things she couldn't before therapy, but her vision isn't bubbly anymore. She no longer wears glasses for distance, and instead wears a slight prescription for near work. The most important part? My child is confident! She doesn't dread doing school work because she can see it! Her favorite hobbies include putting together 1000 piece Lego sets using the manual to guide her, doin art projects, and reading. She has joined a cheer squad, able to distinguish left from right, she can perform the moves with her team!

Vision therapy was life-changing, our answered prayer!

I am a lover of movies, especially independent and foreign films.  After I lost sight in my eye, I tried to watch a foreign film on TV, but I couldn’t do it.  I couldn’t focus quickly enough to read the subtitles.  This week, after 5 months of working with Vision for Life, I tried again.  I went to a theatre to see a foreign film, having no idea if I could read the subtitles.  I had no problem at all.  It’s wonderful to know I can once again do something that I so enjoy.

If you are considering remote vision therapy with Vision for Life, let me start by saying that this therapy has changed my life – all for the good.  I will do my best to share my personal history, my eye struggles and my eye therapy experience.  A list of the facts will probably be easiest for me to explain and for you to understand.

I am 60 years old and in very good physical/emotional health.  My husband and I have been married for 33 years and we have 2 grown children.

I have a challenging and meaningful professional life, with significant leadership responsibility.

As a young child, I had a problem with a right eye turn, had surgery at 8 yrs. that seemed to “correct” the problem but started having double vision in my late teens.

I had vision therapy for 1.5 years when I was 22 years old and still consider that to have been a success.

I had no apparent physical challenges with my eyes until about 5 years ago.

About 2 years ago, I began make significant adjustments to my head/neck/body position to compensate for my right eye turn in and found myself avoiding activities I had always enjoyed – road biking, skiing, running on mountain trails.

I also began having significant challenges with processing information (basically, just thinking) – both at work and in my personal life.

I began to search for a solution.  The doctor who had treated me in my 20's had died and the doctor who assumed his practice treated children only.  My husband and I live in Wyoming in a small mountain town and so I was looking well beyond that, anywhere in the USA for a practice qualified to help me.

I found Vision for Life on the Internet.  Actually, I found a couple of Dr. Steinhauer’s YouTube videos and was so excited, because I knew that she could help me.  And that was confirmed when my husband I visited her office and underwent an evaluation of my particular case.

My problems were actually worse that what any of us had expected but we made a plan.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to like having this kind of therapy as a remote patient, but I have been doing this for almost 15 months and am very happy with my progress.  Better said… it has been great.  The communication has been trouble-fee, and the process overall has been manageable.  Much like my exercise and professional lives, the vision therapy is very much a part of my daily life.

I look forward to my weekly sessions with Jo Anne who is a skilled and compassionate therapist and Dr. Julie (as I have come to call her) works with her to manage my case.

My vision and ability to use both eyes has improved dramatically – my head and neck are straight and life, in general, is just so much easier.  (That would be another email that I could spend all day writing!!

I still have a good amount of work ahead of me, but I don’t care what it takes, because I’m happy and improving all the time.

I hope that this information will be helpful as you make some decisions about your situation.

 

Before Vision Therapy,  Chloe didn’t read or write that well.  After about two months of therapy, she started reading and enjoying it.  Her writing is one of the best in the class.  She has become a great speller and does not get frustrated about studying for tests.  Chloe has gained confidence.

Michelle, mother of Chloe

From 2^nd grade on, my daughter struggled with reading, attention, and comprehension even for the simple assignments.  After much money and time (years) spent trying everything, Vision Therapy was recommended.

In the last year Karpenter has become independent in her school work and is catching up on a multiple year gap in reading comprehension.

She says she no longer saw double after a few months and is aware of how to control her eyes so that it is natural and no longer a struggle.

We and her teachers now see her earning As and Bs on her own and the fighting has drastically been reduced.

With a little preparation, she now comfortably reads at school masses and aloud in the classroom.

While the last year has been a time commitment we feel that it has been a life saver for her confidence, education, and future.

Thank you Vision for Life.

--Wynter

My journey to treating my amblyopia started when I was six years old. But even though I patched and patched, I couldn't get my eyes to work together. After 12 years of searching, I found Dr. Julie, who I quote said, "I got tired of seeing people go blind, and I wanted to help them." And help me she did!

Her application of a wide range of exercises were leaps and bounds better than the doctors I had seen in 13 years. She worked with me every step of the way as my eyes changed, identifying areas of weakness and prescribing exercises to make these weaknesses strengths. I have never thought I would go from 20/150 to 20/30 ever! Truly Dr. Julie is a miracle worker!

My eight year old son was more than hesitant and apprehensive to try any new activities or even talk about trying something new. Vision therapy begain in May and while on vacation in July, he excitedly asked to go parasailing! I could not believe it! He absolutely loved it. Who knew?

Thank you Vision For Life especially Cheri and Dr. Julie!

I started vision therapy in April of 2017. Vision therapy has helped me bowl, drive and see things better. My hand writing has improved a lot since the beginning. School has been easier on me this year as a result of vision therapy. Vision therapy has helped me a lot!

My daughter, Lydia, is 6 weeks into treatment and we are already seeing big results! She is now able to recognize most of her sight workds, numbers and her handwriting has improved significantly! We are thrilled with her progress!
--Sherry

 

Blake was having behavior issues at school, outbursts in the classroom and gettin into fights. We started seeing a behavioral therapist who noticed Blake had a hard time with tasks like tying shoes. This led us to a physical therapist who mentioned vision therapy. We didn't know this existed. Blake has had glasses with a very high prescription since he was three. In fact, his prescription was so high, they couldn't just switch it, but had to keep strengthening his prescription every six months. By 3rd grade, he was still not full strength. That is when we learned about Vision For Life and vision therapy. After being in the program for 10 months, Blake's glasses prescription has decreased 20 notches. He is using both his eyes to see things and no longer suppressing one. His behavior at home and school has improved. We see more smiles and get more love than before. he can write neatly in paragraph form and line up his math problems. The program is a big commitment of time, but gaining eye sight and confidence for our little boy has been priceless. -- Stephanie

Before therapy, Evie was very nervous to do addition/subtraction problems because they were all over. Now 18 weeks into therapy, she looks forward to doing math at school. Her overall confidence level has increased and I attribute that to her eye therapy. She has been working hard and making huge strides and seeing better. (Ms. Sherry and Dr. Julie are the best). Evie no longer tells me she is “blind” which is something she always use to say before we started therapy. The bruising on her legs have gone down significantly because her eyes are now working together which again is because of vision therapy.

So thankful,
Francee

 

 

Before vision therapy, my daughter had difficulty watching everything on her computer screen and tablet. She was very shy and had very little confidence. Today my daughter is very outgoing and has little trouble looking at her electronic devices or the chalkboard at school.

My husband and I have no regrets bringing both of our children to Vision For Life. It has been the best investment we have ever made. both of our children went from desperately needing glasses to hardly needing them or not needing them at all. We are very grateful to Dr. Steinhauer and staff for what they have done for our children's eyesight.

--Genaya C.

Before therapy, Evie was very nervous to do addition/subtraction problems because they were all over. Now 18 weeks into therapy, she looks forward to doing math at school Her overall confidence level has increased and I attribute that to her eye therapy because she has been working hard and making huge strides and seeing better. (Ms. Sherry and Dr. Julie are the best). Evie no longer tells me she is “blind” which is something she always use to say before we started therapy. The bruising on her legs have gone down significantly because her eyes are now working together which again is because of vision therapy.

So Thankful, Francee

 

I’ve nearly eliminated my double vision and improved depth perception significantly THANKS to Vision for Life.

Thankful for the alternative approach that helped me get to the root of the problem and not just masking the symptoms.

I was fed up with hearing there was nothing else I could do for my declining vision. I am a young woman, with young children and a business. To have your vision deteriorate so rapidly became a major wake up call. I am so thankful for the trust I placed in Vision for Life. For someone who has an appreciation for the body and how it works, my therapy became something I became more and more intrigued about. Vision for Life implemented a program that provided structure in a phased approach, addressing all of my needs. The quality of the program has blown me away. Over time with consistency and the help from Vision for Life, I quickly recognized a difference in my overall vision. A little piece of freedom was restored when my double vision diminished, depth perception was restored. It was work, it required an investment in time and money, and my therapy became a part of my life, requiring consistency, but it has been completely worth it! I am so incredibly grateful for Dr. Julie and for my therapist, Jo Anne, who has been extremely patient with me through the process. We’ve had lots of laughs and I will certainly miss this weekly date!

Vision for life changed my life! I can see better… and I can hit the ball in baseball… and I can read much better… and I can focus much better.

Thank you Vision For Life!

Eric has definitely improved his vision over the last year. He notices that his glasses are dirty, which is something he never noticed before. He is playing flag football and now can catch the ball which is a skill he never mastered before. He is also making baskets with basketball more consistently. When you ask Eric what is better, he says, "I can just see a whole lot better."

--Elisabeth B.

My son, Kaden, came to Vision For Life 15 months ago after being diagnosed with dyslexia and visual processing disorder. Kaden has struggled with reading for years. Vision For Life helped train Kaden's eyes to read better with less eye strain, have more enjoyment for reading, improved his writing skills dramatically, and improved his reading skills.

My name is Raluca and I will soon be turning 50 years old. I am a Romanian neonatologist. I was diagnosed with strabismus in my childhood. During medical school, I have been taught that after the age of 7 years old, strabismus can only be corrected surgically. I had almost lost hope that I could someday see normally. But once I discovered Vision for Life and Dr. Julie, my life underwent a wonderful transformation. I have experienced myself what neuroplasticity means and I made the first steps on the road to stereoscopic vision. Even though there is a lot more work to be done, when I am walking outside and I am seeing the beautiful 3D image of the trees, I feel like I am in love with life again and I can move forward with all my strength. I never thought that I could watch 3D movies with my son, but this therapy allowed me to experience this and I am so grateful to God for bringing Dr. Julie, Joanne and Vision for Life along my path.

We have noticed in the past month a great change in our son. We believe as a result of "eye and brain" therapy, our son has been able to listen better and easier than usual. We are so excited and relieve that he has been able to achieve this skill that was once a challenge for him.

Kestyn had her best parent teacher conference ever last week! All four of her teachers feel like she is making great gains. She is working more independently and trying new tasks or skill on her own before asking for help. They all feel she is becoming more mature and is super focused on her school work. She has even begun helping peers who need extra support. I could not be more proud of all of her hard work! Thanks Vision For Life for all the extra support to get her where she needs to be academically.

In my opinion, starting as soon as possible is best. The double vision I had was corrected in the first couple of month, allowing me to drive. The staff at Vision For Life has been very helpful and encouraging.

My journey to treating my amblyopia started when I was six years old. Even though I patched and patched, I couldn’t get my eyes to work together. After twelve years of searching I found Dr. Julie, who I quote said “I got tired of seeing people go blind, and I wanted to help them.” And help me she did! I won’t go into details but her application of a wide range of exercises were leaps and bounds better than the doctors I had seen in 13 years. She worked with me every step of the way as my eyes changed, identifying areas of weakness and prescribing exercises to make these weaknesses strengths. I have never thought I would go from 20/150 to 20/30 ever! Truly Dr. Julie’s a miracle worker.

We started vision therapy with the hope of correcting an eye turn in my four year old son, Ty. We have seen more improvements than just with his vision.  His eye/hand coordination has dramatically increased, he consistently crosses the midline now, he knows all of his letters and numbers, and his attention span is much longer.  We are very pleased with our results so far and look forward to seeing what comes next.

We had parent/teacher conferences last week. My daughter Emma’s teacher said that she was reading 5 levels higher than her grade.  Also her concentration has improved – she isn’t as “wiggly” as before. We are so happy with our results!

My daughter Abbie's amblyopia has improved and we don't see eye turns during eye exercises anymore.

 

I came to Vision For Life for therapy to help control my double vision and it seems to be helping. I have felt that when I have a problem starting, I can stop and it seems to get better.

We have been traveling to see Dr. Julie and her amazing staff for about 5 months and in that time our daughter’s vision and eye turn have improved significantly. She now has normal depth perception and she is controlling her eye turn so much better. When we first came to Vision for Life, my daughter was wearing a strong prescription in both bifocals and contacts. She had been through vision therapy at another doctor but we were not happy with the results. Our daughter’s eye turn wasn’t much better, and her eye glass prescription kept going up with increasing astigmatism.

Dr. Julie immediately started taking down her prescription and now she is only wearing glasses for reading. When she used to take off her glasses her eye would immediately turn in and now she is walking around controlling it. Truly amazing! This is helping her so much in competitive gymnastics, she no longer wears contacts to participate.

It’s helped her self-confidence in school, as well. She used to detest reading out loud, the words appeared double or blurry and it was such a strain for her to push through. So many tears! Now, she asks to read and is progressing so much better. We highly recommend Vision for Life and only trust Dr. Julie with our daughter vision. She simply is the best!

Prior to vision therapy, my daughter Betsy was very anxious, clumsy, and had a very short attention span. Despite having completed a full year of preschool, she could only identify one letter and not even every time. Betsy did not like to be read to or look at books. She would regularly walk into people, doorways, furniture and other objects. She would trip over her own feet or objects on the floor several times a day. Betsy was very anxious, quick to get frustrated and frequently refused to participate in activities.

Now, Betsy is much more laid back and relaxed. She does not get frustrated or angry nearly as quickly and easily. Betsy is much more willing to participate in activities. Betsy seems to be much more aware of her environment and where she is at in her environment. She rarely walks into things and I don't even know the last time she tripped. Betsy loves to look at books and be read to now. She can consistently identify 12 letters (both upper case and lower case), and with less consistently identify up to 20 letters and single digit numbers.

The behavior and mood changes due to vision therapy have been amazing. Academically, she is much closer to her peers than last year and almost fully caught up to where she should be.

I came to Vision for Life seeking help for my chronic and constant light and sound sensitivity (mostly artificial lights). During testing and therapy,  I realized I also had trouble with depth perception and getting my eyes to work together.  I also realized my glasses prescription was stronger than necessary.  I did not find that vision helped with my light or sound sensitivities, but did find greater success with depth perception, training my eyes to focus quickly between close and farther points, training my weaker eye to work and see better and overall vision improvement. I would highly recommend Vision for Life for vision related issues and have several times. It is a positive and uplifting environment.  I have thoroughly enjoyed working with JoAnne weekly – highly recommend. Dr. Julie is a very compassionate, knowledgeable person who is both professional and personable. She truly desires to help, and I would recommend her to anyone.  Vision for Life is the only place that offers therapy options with light therapy in the area.

 

We are currently doing a "boost" program after 6 years from the original therapy. Our goal was to prepare our son even more as he begins to head to high school. The changes have been wonderful. He was a good student but tears have seen a difference in his abilities of school and he can "feel" the difference and is happier and less stressed about school. The staff at Vision For Life is amazing! They are a blessing in my son Will's life!

My daughter, Chloe, was able to take her first spelling test of ten words without being modified.  This is a huge gain for Chloe that she is able to spell and retain her 10 spelling words.  Her teacher and myself are amazed! All her hard work with vision therapy has paid off with success.

Sadie has been in vision therapy for a couple months and we have already seen improvement. She has always been a good reader but over the summer she has just taken off and is doing even better.

I use to see double 24/7. now, I don’t at all. This is great because I can see notes and take notes better in school now.  This is my success story so far!

Since starting with syntonics, my peripherl vision has opened way up. In particular, in my right eye. I’m much more aware of the world around me and driving has become much easier!

Vision Therapy has greatly improved my life. It has made driving, working, and many other things much easier to do. I can see clearly and I have a better sense of depth. Therapy has truly been a great help!

Vision therapy has allowed me to see things that I didn't know you were supposed to. It also has helped me to stop running into everything as much because I notice things more. I also now know that when you are in a car, you're supposed to see the person next to you.

I have become more aware of things, so that when a spell starts to hit, I have more control over the situation and don't have spells hardly at all.

My son, Lucas, was held back a grade and continued to have difficulty following along in class. His ADHD affected him being able to stay focused and frustrated him to where he'd act out. He would never want to read and would either cry or pout if we tried. He was behind in both reading and comprehension.

During a routine eye appointment we were referred to Dr. Julie at Vision for Life. I had mentioned in passing to the optometrist that Lucas wouldn't hold eye contact with anyone and had difficulty focusing. He did an additional evaluation and despite everything being okay from the optometrist's point of view as far as structure of the eye, etc. there is a lot of processing from the eye to the brain and Lucas probably needed some extra help with that.

At Vision for Life they did a long and thorough evaluation with Lucas to identify his areas of need. Dr. Julie is incredibly sweet and passionate about her work. Lucas's therapist's; Joanne, patience each week working with him was awesome. The exercises they do with them at therapy and the ones sent home cover a variety of activities not only focused on eyes but coordination, balance and strength. It is a long process that is definitely worth it. Lucas has gone from jumping all over, complaining about reading 3 letter words to trying to read signs along the road and subtitles on TV! It is such a relief that since Lucas doesn't struggle as much with reading the words he can actually focus on comprehending the story he is reading. It is a process that never really ends but if we come to any big bumps along the way I know I can reach out to Vision For Life at any time. I can not thank everyone at Vision For Life enough for their cooperation, coaching and caring.

 

I opted to start undergoing vision therapy due to chronic migraine headaches.  After a few sessions with the syntonic glasses my neck tension, cranial pain, and TMJ discomfort have been dramatically reduced.  I’ve been extremely encouraged by the progress thus far, and I’m excited by the prospect of an even better quality of life in the future.

Jaden started vision therapy in June 2017. We had concerns that he could not catch or hit a baseball. He seemed to have difficulty tracking the ball. Within one week of vision exercises at home and one therapy session, he hit the ball each time he was up to bat, and could play, pitch and catch. This summer in baseball he has continued to hit almost every time he has been up to bat. We have seen huge gains in coordination since the beginning of therapy, and can tell his eyes seems to move together better.

Academically, Jaden has always performen average to above average in all areas, and we have not had concerns. However, with vision therapy, we have seen Jaden excel even more academically. At the beginning of 3^rdgrade he was reading at a 5^thgrade 4^thmonth level, and at the end of 3^rdgrade, star testing found him to perform at a freshman year 4^thmonth level. HUGE GAINS! He scored greater than 99%of students nationally on this test, and can likely read 170 words per min. on grade level appropriate text. Jaden was also one of the top 12 spellers in 3^rdgrad, and got to participate in the spelling bee. We have also seen improvements in his writing abilities. We arw very proud of Jaden and his commitment to vision therapy, and thankful for all the gains he has made in various areas.

I started vision therapy back in April of 2017, and vision therapy has helped me bowl, drive, and see things better. My hand writing has improved a lot since the beginning. School has been a lot easier on me this year as a result of vision therapy. Vision therapy has helped me a lot! Thanks Vision For Life!

 

I noticed when Nathan was reading a Merit Badge booklet for Boy Scouts he was skimming. I knew he didn't have an eye problem due to seeing an eye physician every year since he was 3 years old. I knew it was an eye/brain processing issue. So I looked for someone to help Nathan. That's when I found Dr. Julie. Now, we're coming to the end of his therapy, this is what I noticed:

Nathan use to see the word and picture when he was skimming to read. now when Nathan reads, he sees only the words. No more skimming and he reads every word he sees.

Thanks to Dr. Julie & Tammy, we are so thankful and grateful to both of them!

Carol - Grandmother of Nathan

Leland’s reading proficiency has increased drastically. Leland enjoys reading and is back to being on track at school. Leland struggled with running into things and falling before therapy.

No more bumps and bruises!

Hi, Today I was watching Star Wars movie in the theatre. It was such an unbelievable experience. Now I’m going to sound like Susan Barry. It was like I would have received the most precious gift in the world and in my life. Like an impossible talent you only wished to be true some day. My doctors said it was impossible for me to see in 3D. Now I really see how wrong they were. ❤ There was soooo much depth and the movie felt like I was in it and watching a concert very close. So much feel of space and flying objects. Soo awesome that I said woooow all the time, had goose bumps in my skin, cried happy tears.. ❤ This experience I will never forget. It is just like Susan Barrys. I’m speechless. Sooooooo awesome. Most precious treasure in the world and worth of billions trillions of coins/ undescribable amount of money. Huge thanks for you guys for your help. Without you I would not be so far. ❤ I can’t thank you enough. Miia

After five months of therapy, our daughter who has amblyopia has improved her vision in her weak eye to almost normal.  We have also seen improvements in coordination, including handwriting and swimming.  We are so glad that we took a leap of faith and did vision therapy and syntonics because it works!

I am amazed and thrilled with the many successes Gabby has experienced in her sessions here. To pinpoint one is difficult. All these successes have resulted in a more confident, determined and energized young lady. For her to now see the potential and bright future I’ve seen all along is priceless.

Ava has more confidence since she has started vision therapy. She is acing her spelling tests and will actually share answers in front of the classroom. Our hope was that her vision improved to make learning fun and enjoyable. We are excited to watch her progress and her smile with pride.

We found out Miranda was having problems at her regular vision exam. At school she was having daily headaches. She was having difficulty with reading, her reading levels had dropped from the previous year. She had difficulty with focusing and she was tired. So we came in for the initial evaluation and here we are 45 weeks later. Now, Miranda isn’t having headaches like she used to. She actually enjoys reading now. She reads quickly and is able to comprehend what she has read. Her istation testing has increased to over an 8^th grade level in reading. Before vision therapy Miranda didn’t enjoy school. She had a really difficult year with her teacher. This year that has changed. She likes school and most of her teachers. She loves her English teacher. Thank you Dr. Julie and especially Tammy for dealing with us every week.

Ailee began Vision Therapy with illegible handwriting, and an unwillingness to read out loud and write more than required, and very little spatial awareness. Through her VT, she balance is more controlled and stable. While she still does not care to read, her reading ability has improved. Her penmanship has improved greatly. I have seen her artwork improve immensely. She has such a passion for sketching, and it has grown by leaps and bounds over the past 9 months. This tells me she has way more control over penmanship, but also visually. She sketches, shades, and highlights depth in her art work. Before, when she’d write a story, literally, I could hardly read it. Just yesterday, she wrote willingly a 3+ page creative story that was not only descriptive, but also legible.

Her physical coordination also has improved along with her confidence in her ability. We see this especially in her swimming. Her strokes are much more fluid and clean.

Overall we are extremely pleased with her progress in VT. Her handwriting is not always neat, but it’s not because she can’t write neatly, it’s because she doesn’t want to do it…. Preteens!!!

 

All of the teachers at Chloe’s school are impressed with her progress. Chloe’s vocabulary has increased so much and her attention to details. Chloe’s social skills with her peers have become more age appropriate. Everyone is amazed of her progress in such a short period of her treatment at Vision for Life. The school staff is amazed at Dr. Julie’s YouTube.

 

 

 

 

 

Prior to therapy, Alexis was very clumsy and withdrawn at school. The biggest concern that we noticed was when she couldn’t see through pools to gauge how deep it might be. After therapy, she has gained confidence, her grades have improved significantly, she now loves school, has tons of friends, and has depth perception for water and other applications. She has even started participation in sports in school!

Garrison had a lot of eye issues that we never knew he had when we first came to vision therapy. Over the past year, he has learned to read and track better because of vision therapy.

We can’t thank Cheri enough for the time and hard work she put in to helping Garrison.

I’m so glad we found Dr. Julie and the staff at Vision For Life. I don’t know where Garrison would be today if we didn’t come to vision therapy. Garrison's balance is so much better also, and he learned to ride his bike this past summer!

My son was able to focus a lot better on schoolwork. We saw improvement’s in his concentration with school work, and everyday task. He seems to be more aware of his surroundings.

At his last eye exam appointment, his eye doctor told us that this was the first time in quite a few visits that his eye glass prescription hasn’t increased!

Vision therapy has helped me with so much. It has helped my eye’s to be able to go out. When I struggled on my papers, it was just a silly mistake. Mom said I was not copying the words down right, but it was really just me not being able to copy the words.

But now, thanks to vision therapy, I have been getting an A+.

Before beginning therapy Elise was reading at grade level, or a little below. Since transitioning into therapy she is now reading above grade level. The reading level for fourth grade (on grade level) is “M” and Elise scored at level “S”. We are very pleased with her progress.

Macy wanted to participate in baton but struggled greatly with using her left hand to twirl. After vision therapy she is now participating in competition. She has won 2 first place ribbons and twirling great with her left hand.

 

Before therapy my daughter struggled to read and write. She would become overwhelmed easily and have meltdowns when asked to clean her room or practice reading and writing. She is now much more calm and does not get overwhelmed. She has an inner desire to learn to read and improve on her writing skills. Her teacher and I are very pleased with her progress and look forward to seeing how far my daughter will come after therapy is over. (We are only halfway through therapy.)

I was reading at a fourth grade reading level and now, I’m at an eighth grade level.

I remember I brought my son for his assessment. I thought he only had an astigmatism. After the assessment, Dr. Julie explained to me that it was far worse and how my son had been struggling. I cried because as a mother, I didn’t know and I didn’t know my son was having such a hard time.

The cost of the therapy was a shock to me and my husband; however our son’s eyesight and success in life were worth far more. It was definitely one of the best investments we have ever made. His range of vision has increased 10 fold and his vision overall has gotten better. He’s able to play sports and participate in activities without his glasses. He still uses his glasses to read, but at least he likes reading now.

Vision therapy also was a learning experience for my son. It helped him with his memory, eye movement, numbers, distinguishing items from one another, etc. This was a lot for a 4-year-old, but it definitely helped him prepare for kindergarten and his future. There are no regrets between my husband and myself for investing our money and time in vision therapy and our son.

In order to help others, who are trying to decide how soon to start visual training, we would appreciate it if you could write a few words of encouragement. (What life was like before therapy and how it is now- please list out what you or your child has gained by doing therapy.)

Before vision therapy, I struggled with driving a lot. I had trouble judging distance and using my peripheral vision to see objects. Now, both those skills are much improved. I have since gotten my driver’s license and am able to comfortably drive myself and my siblings to different places.

I also had trouble reading. My eyes would get tired and I would often fall asleep whenever I tried to read. I can read now and I rarely fall asleep, unless I’m very tired.

Reading is much better! Ailee’s reading is much better; she is reading more fluidly and doesn’t get tired after a couple of pages of reading. She isn’t skipping words while reading, like she did six months ago.

Her printing/penmanship has improved as well.

She has been learning to ride a bike with success!

We were excited to start Lexi with Vision Therapy to help her read more fluently. We were so excited to see the test results about 3/4 of the way through her treatment. They showed great improvement in many areas. Lexi seems to be more confident in herself and her school work.

 

Before therapy, Alexis was not an athletic child and had to be "forced" to do sports because she was somewhat clumsy. Now, four months in to therapy, her confidence has dramatically increased and she has asked to join a volleyball team with her peers, is doing well in sports and with her coordination.

My daughter Callie is in 2nd grade and in the last few months she has jumped from a 13 to a 16 in her reading level, then again from a 16 to an 18. It's amazing to see her so excited about reading and catching up to her class mates. Vision therapy has made such a huge difference in her confidence.

A year ago my wife and I had never heard of Vision Therapy. Our son Jack (12 years old, 6th Grade), although a good student, had to work extremely hard to maintain his grades at school. Along with this came a new level of stress and anxiety that we started to notice in him. Jack's social skills were also lacking as he tended to shy away from group setting and not participate.

We express our concerns to his pediatrician and came to the conclusion that Occupational and Behavioral Therapy was in his best interest. While in OT it was recommended to us to have Jack see Dr. Julie Steinhauer at Vision For Life. The OT therapist seemed to think his problems were more vision related. Dr. Julie did a full vision exam on Jack and she began to explain to us Jack's vision problems. She told us that with vision therapy she believed these problems could be corrected. Dr. Julie then proceeded to have my wife and I put on a pair of glasses and see the world that Jack lives in. Our hearts dropped. Jack's world was nothing but visual confusion. From a lack of a visual field to double/triple images, no wonder tasks were so challenging to him. We knew that we had to give vision therapy a shot. Ms. JoAnne, who would lead Jack's therapy, showed us the training rooms and some various exercises that would be done.

As we close in our year long journey of therapy, the difference is outstanding. jack's vision has improved exactly like Dr. Julie said it would. jack has enjoyed great success at school with less stress and anxiety. He recently participated in the Triad Invitational Middle School Model United Nations with his 7th Grade class. He was excited to attend and tell us about meeting new students from other schools and how he participated on different committees. He is succeeding at his Martial Arts class and is regularly participating in group activities and mat chats where answering questions and speaking in front of his peers is required. With his vision success, we have seen his confidence level continue to grow and a new found sense of humor starting to blossom.

My wife and I fell Jack's success has started with Vision Therapy. The work that Dr. Julie and her staff are doing is not only AMAZING, it is life changing.

Before Vision Therapy, Payten did not like school or any type of work that had to do with school. It was a struggle to get her to go to school or do homework. Payten's teacher had trouble getting her to do any extra work. She did as little as possible to get her grade. She did not like to read at all, and getting her to sit down and read a book was impossible.

we found out through testing that Payten had double vision, which made it very difficult for her to see the words she was being asked to read. Payten had headaches every day, which made her feel very sick. Payten also had anxiety about school. She knew school was hard fro her, so she did not ever want to go.

After going through the Vision Therapy process, Payten is a completely different child. She loves school. her teacher even said that she is always telling Payten to put away her book because she constantly wants to read! She even asked if I would take her to the library a few weeks ago. We are both very thankful for Vision Therapy and what it has done for our family. Our ultimate goal was for Payten to like school and do well at it. She had all A's on her last report card and cannot wait to go to school each day! Thank you Dr. Julie and the Vision For Life Staff for everything you did for Payten and our family.

My daughter, Sarah, was never a reader. Even as she was read to as a baby/toddler she didn't like the words. She was diagnosed with dyslexia in October of her first grade year and began special education. Her progress was slow but steady. When she started third grade, she had been at vision therapy for almost a year. She started third grade at a F/G level but by Christmas she was reading at the J/K level. Not only that, she now loves books! She picks up a book on her own to read plus she loves reading aloud!

After only 3 treatments, my daughter, Alexis, looked at the night sky and started seeing the clouds with depth for the first time. She said that every time before, the clouds looked as though she was looking at a flat photo/picture. Now the clouds looked "like she could touch them."

Matthew began vision therapy before his 6th grade year. His reading and writing skills were far below grade level. Vision therapy enable Matthew to read chapter books at his grade level, copy and align math problems to pursue Algebra, and write lengthy compositions that demonstrate understanding and communicate clear ideas during his 8th grade year. We are pleased with the opportunities that have opened up for Matthew because of his progress through vision therapy.

Colby was having a difficult time reading in the 1st grade. [He was diagnosed with several vision issues, including focusing difficulties and the inability to keep his eyes aligned.] After VT, he quickly became the best reader in his class, and his coordination in sports has improved dramatically. Along with this progress, his self-confidence has improved as well. He knows he can read well now and hit that ball!

Before VT, Cathy was not using both of her eyes at the same time, so reading and schoolwork were sometimes difficult. She had issues with depth perception, making hitting and catching a ball difficult. She didn’t want to do schoolwork or read, and would become easily frustrated playing softball, not getting on base. Since VT, she is now at grade level in her reading and has had a very good school year without as many struggles. She is becoming a better batter and softball player.

Dane was diagnosed with dyslexia in late 2008 in a psychological evaluation; Dr. Steinhauer detected strabismus instead. [Following VT], Dane has come to enjoy reading and routinely receives 100% on his spelling tests. His visual memory has expanded to keep him at grade level. Bike riding was once an adventure for Dane, considering his questionable depth perception. Now he is able to ride for miles… and has improved in soccer and basketball too.

Travis was a clumsy child. He often tripped, ran into things and had accidents. Reading was a struggle, with headaches and watery eyes and frequently losing his place. After a VT program which included hand-eye coordination drills, Travis excelled in baseball, basketball and tennis with superior hand-eye skills. He was team MVP in all sports and went to state three times in tennis. He also developed a life-long love of reading and graduated with a 5.23 GPA. I sincerely believe we would not have seen these results had he not gone through VT with Dr. Steinhauer.

I really didn’t want to admit that Gabriele was having difficulty in school.  She was struggling with reading, spelling and writing.  She had constant reversals of letters and numbers.  After thought and prayer, we decided to have her tested.  I was still in denial.  After the testing, I realized that we really needed to do therapy.  Since we had completed therapy with Abbi, she had such improvement in school and all areas of her life.  Vision therapy is a substantial time and monetary commitment.  We began therapy with great hopes for improvement.  Gabriele has made so many gains at school and for her life in general.

I’ll never be able to express our thanks to Dr. Julie and her staff.  The encouragement and hope we got along the way of this journey was awesome.  It was hard at times, but well worth the time and expense.  May God continue to bless Dr. Julie and her staff as they help others.  Thanks for being such a blessing to us!

Before Vision Therapy, life was quite difficult.  I had trouble in school and especially with sports.  In school I had trouble reading.  For instance, I would skip small words such as: I, as, is, am, the . . .  Also, it was very hard to comprehend what I was reading because I had to concentrated so much to figure out each word, let alone what a sentence meant.  My penmanship was very bad, and I had trouble lining up the numbers in math problems.  Copying from the board to my paper was also difficult.  In sports, I had trouble hitting and catching baseballs, as well as hitting the basketball rim.

Now, after Vision Therapy, I don’t skip words and I understand what I read much better.  I can copy from one line to another and from the board to my paper much easier.  In math, the problems are easier, because the columns are lined up better and I can understand word problems much better.  I don’t throw a fit anymore and try to stall when doing word problems.  My penmanship is better and the words are spaced much more consistently.  I can now hit and catch baseballs much easier now, and I made many baskets last basketball season.

Before vision therapy, my daughter Katie, age 9, hated school. Homework was a nightmare for the entire family. I had to force her to do it, and it would often take hours just to do one thing, invariably with her ending up in tears. She had low self-esteem and longed to be one of the “smart kids” in school. Instead, she felt awful because she always needed help and finished her work last.

After vision therapy, our lives have completely changed. Katie loves school now! She does her homework as soon as she gets home without being told and rarely needs help. She is excelling to the point she has made the honor roll and is among the first to finish her work in class. Her self-esteem is up, and she feels good about herself, confident and proud that she is now one of the “smart kids”. She’s so proud of herself and enthusiastic about school, she no longer dreads going. In fact, she has been writing a children’s book on her own, and the school is going to have it published for her. Vision therapy has made all the difference in the world to her and us.

Before vision therapy, my son was struggling to make it through his school day. He couldn’t keep up with the class work and took his whole evening to finish at home. He had trouble keeping on task unless I was constantly on him which made both of us miserable. I’m happy to say that he is now excelling in school and homework is no longer a time for tears. He is much better at getting his work done and keeping his focus. Not perfect… but typical for a curious 9 year old boy. His teachers had encouraged me to take the medication route, but I have no regrets that we chose vision therapy instead. It’s given him the ability to get the most out of school without losing any of his sweet personality. I highly recommend it for anyone that is struggling the way Jackson was.

Dear Dr. Steinhauer, I am the grandmother of Ethan, one of your clients. I just want you to know how grateful I am for the care you have given him. He is a new little boy, a boy with hope and a future. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

As you know he had been under several other doctors’ care and they all wanted to treat him with drugs, which all had terrible side effects. Ethan would even early on tell us it wasn’t helping, but out of desperation his parents felt it the only thing to do at the time although not liking the course it was taking him on. We feel you have been an answer to prayer and thank God daily for the change in Ethan.

You have given Ethan a new start on life and he feels it too. I am just sorry for all the children who are misdiagnosed and/or don’t have the money to go through your program. When I tell people about it they look very skeptical, but Ethan is living proof your program works. I am grateful to Brian, my son in law who dedicated much time into seeing Ethan’s therapy through. It is a big commitment, but the results are worth every effort.

I could tell by the time Ethan was eighteen months old that something wasn’t right as I was his caretaker for six years. I just wish we would have found you sooner, but the main thing is we did. Again I just wanted you to know we thank God for you. You were an answer to our prayers.

Before Mackenzie began vision therapy, she was struggling in a number of school subjects: reading, spelling, and math were her hardest subjects. Particularly in math, she seemed to actually be getting worse instead of better. She didn’t seem to recognize when a math symbol changed. For instance, if the first two problems were addition, she added every problem on the page, even though some problems were subtraction. Additionally, she was making no progress in multiplication. One week she would know some multiplication facts, and the next week she would look at them like she had never seen them before. Since beginning vision therapy, Mackenzie’s progress in Math has been amazing. I first noticed it when she took the initiative to do her math work on her own and completed a whole lesson with no help and no tears! We are now almost through a whole year of school and vision therapy, and Mack has mastered her multiplication facts, moved onto division with no problem and is progressing with fractions and beginning geometry and algebra. Being able to not only learn new math concepts without crying, but then also progress in them in HUGE for her. It is wonderful to see her progress and gain confidence in areas that were previously frustrating and demeaning to her.

I started therapy at the age of 20 with a mind and a visual processing system that was struggling and had been struggling for a very long time. My parents first noticed that I had a learning problem in third grade. Now, finally at 20 years old, I am taking action, and learning how to control my habits. I have learned so much from Gabby and Dr. Julie, and the whole team that they have not only taught me, but they have changed me as a person as well. All I can say is that they have inspired me to do great in life and nothing is impossible! My eyes have opened, and I have realized how beautiful and smart I really am and how beautiful life truly is! I recommend to anyone struggling with visual and learning issues to try it out, because it is mind blowing! I love it!

Wow! What an incredible journey the last year has been for Ethan-and for us! The beginning of 2013 and the entire year of 2012 were NOT good years for our household. We were told Ethan had ADHD, ODD, autism, etc. although all testing was not conclusive. We have always believed in the natural path to remedy vs. prescription medication and with me being a quality manager, the drugs were nothing but a dangerous form of containment. I wanted to know the root cause. That is what we needed to fix!

We stumbled across Brain balance in March of 2013 and where it led us…Vision For Life…has been life changing! They immediately identified vision issues. Keep in mind that Ethan was so uncooperative at this point he was not even able to complete his testing at Brain Balance.

Ethan had been through two schools, was difficult to manage even at home. He was very smart (reading at 5th grade level in Pre-K) but he had behavioral problems at school. He got frustrated very easily. He could not tie his shoes or ride a bike at age 6. We were at the end of our rope when he was suspended after less than 10days at public school. We had moved him from private to public thinking they had the resources to support his needs. We knew we had to find a solution and we found it via Brain Balance. He started Vision For Life in June 2013 and by mid August he was riding a bike and tying his shoes!! Major behavioral changes started taking place and the fabulous kid, that we only once in awhile saw glimmers of, finally emerged.

We tell everyone we can about all that Vision For Life has done for Ethan and our family. We hope and pray that others find you and quickly!! Our kids deserve solutions not medications and Vision For Life is an absolutely incredible solution!!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!
P.S. While Ethan is 95% better, our plan is to finish his “solution” at Brain Balance.

Before starting vision therapy, life with Isabella was very difficult. She was “doing ok” and “getting by” in school, but doing homework was exhausting and emotionally draining. Reading was very slow and tiring, and even in 3rd & 4th grade she was reluctant to try chapter books because they were too overwhelming! Doing homework resulted in tears every time.

Now that we have completed therapy, Isabella is more willing at homework time AND it goes much faster. Her reading has improved greatly and she is reading lengthy chapter books and even enjoys it!!

We are so thankful for the staff at Vision for Life and have been blessed by all they have done to help Isabella.

I wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to Dr. Julie, Jenna and the staff at Vision For Life. You have made a huge difference in my son, Matthew's life. We came to Dr. Julie after trying unsuccessfully for about 3yrs trying to get the appropriate help for Matthew. I am grateful that I found Dr. Julie because for the first time someone understood my son's issues.

There are many new things beginning to open up for Matthew. For the first time, he is getting compliments from his classmates for doing well in PE. He is starting to enjoy sports more and more. At age 11, that is a huge plus for a boy that was slightly clumsy. He is doing better in school! He is paying attention more and staying on task! How I have longed to hear these reports from his teachers.

His memory skills are starting to improve and he is having less and less trouble doing homework. He is also telling me more about his day at school and seems to be remembering more information so hopefully studying for tests will be easier. He also has matured in ways that have been wonderful to see. His coordination is much better. He has better sleep patterns now. He is less nervous and more confident. He is also more assertive.

In addition to this his visual skills have greatly improved. His eyes are working as a team now. His right eye doesn't cross when he reads. His tracking during reading is much better. For Matt his visual memory skills have been an issue and they too have been improved ( i.e.: math facts are getting easier).

We are very glad that we participated in the 32 week program. I would highly recommend to anyone who has a child that struggles in school due to a visual learning problem to call the office. Dr. Julie's program works!

They say everything happens for a reason…

When we moved to Glen Carbon, IL. Three years ago, we couldn’t understand why our daughter, Hannah, was struggling so much with reading and with school in general. Hannah had struggled in pre-school and kindergarten as well.

After an eye exam from a local eye doctor, we learned Hannah had no peripheral vision. We were referred to Dr. Julie Steinhauer. After testing with Dr. Julie we learned Hannah had some pretty significant issues and began vision therapy.

The vision therapy process was difficult and at times very frustrating.

I would like to go on to say proudly that Hannah has now graduated from vision therapy! She has decreased her eye glass prescription at least twice, has more confidence, and her peripheral vision is back! (That was HUGE for her safety and sports!)

I am also proud to say all of her grades have improved from C’s, D’s, and F’s to all A’s and B’s on her last two report cards and she now loves school!

We started vision therapy when our little kindergartener was diagnosed with Amblyopia at his kindergartener eye exam.

During the exam, I was shocked at how big the letters needed to be on the wall in order for him to see them. Especially since he had known his alphabet for 2 years already. Then when he was asked to grab the fly wing on the stereo activity test and he could not see it at all. I started to get really concerned. We had not recognized any symptoms to his vision issues until he played t-ball and soccer his kindergartener year. He wasn’t catching the ball or chasing after it. He would not see his team mates running along side of him unless he turned his head to look directly at them.

We found Dr. Steinhauer and started vision therapy right away to correct his vision. Dr. Steinhauer, Jo Anne and the staff helped us to improve our son’s vision from 20/60 and 20/50 to 20/20 in both eyes. He can see all angles peripherally and can now grab the fly wing and much more! His self confidence has improved over the year and now is ready to give sports another try.

At such a young age of 6, and while it was a challenge to keep his focus- we were able to work together on activities required slight modifications and others he turned into games and family fun.

In the end, the hard work has really paid off and we are grateful for the results. Thank you Vision For Life!