“Would you like to become a Vision Therapist?” the Employment Recruiter asked.
“Vision Therapist? What do they do? I’ve never heard of Vision Therapy,” I replied.
“To be honest, Lori, I have no idea.”
"How does one promote job placement without knowing the client?" I ask myself.

So, the first thing I did was to look up the late Dr. Stefani Martin’s website. On her website, there was a page with several short paragraphs explaining how Vision Therapy can be used to treat visual conditions such as convergence insufficiency (the tendency of eyes to turn outward when looking at nearby objects), strabismus (eye turn), and amblyopia (blurry eye or eyes) using lenses and prisms. The information was not written in laments terms; this led me to begin researching more terms and definitions.

On the day of the job interview that would change the path of my life forever, I was given an entry exam. On the exam, I was asked to define optician, optometrist, and ophthalmologist, solve mathematical equations, and complete a page finding all the misspelled words, among other questions. I passed the test and earned the right of passage to an interview with Dr. Martin. I was hired shortly after. “What is vision therapy?” was one of the first questions I asked the doctor and her staff. The responses were, "it’s like physical therapy for the eyes," "retraining the eye muscles," and "working on visual skills."

Alas, I began my journey as a Vision Therapist in February 2013. I had several short weeks to shadow and learn from the seasoned vision therapist at the office before she retired. The doctor I worked for was brilliant when it came to eye exams and testing, but she lacked experience in the vision therapy room. I was told to fake it until I make it.

Instead, I spent my nights and weekends with my nose deep in binders and instruction manuals. There were many sleepless nights in those first six months, but it paid off because I quickly learned what vision therapy means to me.

I had patients of my own within the first week of employment. It is there that I met Daisy. She was my first patient. A third-grader who was experiencing headaches, struggling to keep her place when reading (below 1st-grade level speed), had difficulty seeing the board at school, and had poor reading comprehension. The optometrist diagnosed Daisy with convergence insufficiency, accommodative insufficiency (inability to keep words clear), and eye movement disorder. Over the span of 9 months, we worked together to help her improve her visual skills and overcome her visual skills processing disorder.

I just saw Daisy about 15 months ago. She was getting ready for college! Her visual processing skills are above normal and she has never had a relapse. What’s more, when she walks into the room, she becomes center stage. The shy, quiet girl who was at the bottom of her 3rd-grade class in reading is now a part of a sorority, received a college scholarship, and is beaming with confidence.

On the day of Daisy’s vision therapy graduation, she shined like the sun. She was proud of what she accomplished. It was at that moment when I was looking at her ear-to-ear smile that I knew my purpose. Vision therapists change lives. We take a child who is struggling and give them the tools to learn and become anyone they want. I don’t want any child to be limited by an auditory processing or visual processing disorder.

A broken arm is easy to see, but processing disorders are hidden. It looks like the child can read from the outside but inside, they are living in chaos, stressed, lacking confidence, assuming maybe everyone sees double or blurry. Psychologically this can be devastating and result in all kinds of behavioral problems.

Alexis was still going through the terrible twos at the age of six. Her mother, Diana, panicked when her daughter was expelled from two preschools at the age of five. The diagnoses came back: multiple retained primitive reflexes (survival reflexes that inhibit higher learning when triggered), convergence excess (overturning eyes inward at near), accommodative dysfunction, eye movement disorder, and visual information processing disorder.

Alexis completed a nine-month primary reflex Integration program before beginning a one-year program of vision therapy. She was difficult to work with initially. It was a struggle to get her to focus on any object, she had a lot of fear of doing something wrong, and had a tendency to break things. Through hard work and dedication, Alexis learned how to focus, become confident in herself, and read on grade level.

Two years later, Alexis is at the top of her class and has a strong desire to learn. The teacher is always sending mom a daily positive report indicating great behavior. Alexis is known for helping out the other students in class. Mom says the best outcome was the behavior change, and as a result, her academics improved. Alexis loves to read every day. She’s excelling in gymnastics, dance, and tennis. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this child!

Our children are our future. It is up to us adults and professionals to ensure they get every chance possible. No matter how difficult the child or situation, I am committed to helping any child who comes my way.