The Wow Vision Therapy Blog

The Impact of Concussion on Vision...the latest video from VisionHelp

The Impact of Concussion on Vision is the latest installment  from the VisionHelp Group that brings together leading experts in vision development and rehabilitation along with the personal side of this issue because a young woman, Abby, tells her story about life after a concussion.

For Abby it was just another day riding in the car when suddenly and without warning she was T-boned. Her car flipped 3 times before she came to a stop. In many ways she was fortunate because she survived the crash. The doctors at the hospital told her to go home and get some rest. But, from that point on her world had changed. Her vision was no longer the same. She was dizzy and the room moved just as if she had gotten off a boat. She couldn't work like she used to, it was very frustrating and it wasn't simply going away with rest and time... until she sought vision rehabilitation.

Take a moment to watch this short video and learn how concussions can have a significant impact on a person's vision and yet, with vision rehabilitation there is help.  

 

For more information about this important issue of vision problems associated with concussion click here and  take a look at more content on the VisionHelp Blog.

Please support the mission of the  VisionHelp Group. Share this video and you can be part of the solution for greater public awareness to end the senseless struggle associated with concussion-based vision problems.

Dan L. Fortenbacher, O.D., FCOVD

Specialized treatment comes to Grand Rapids for children who struggle from vision and learning problems

One in 12 children struggle with serious vision problems that cause reading and learning problems yet those same children will pass the standard vision tests. Collin is one of these children who endured the struggle with frustration and lowself-esteem, but with his office-based optometric vision therapy treatment he has blossomed with new abilities and confidence!

 

 

Wow Vision Therapy is recognized as one of top specialty vision therapy practices in the US and is now open in Grand Rapids, Michigan on East Beltline! For more information take a look at our website at www.wowvision.net .

 

You can also learn more details on the impact of vision problems affecting learning by reading Dr. Fortenbacher’s VisionHelp article: How does it feel to have a vision related reading or learning problem?

 

Vision and Learning - What every parent should know

A brand new and uniquely informative video from some of the leading US experts in the field of developmental vision who speak about the human brain and how vision problems can lead to reading and learning problems. This video also features one of Wow Vision Therapy's patients, Reece and her father David who tells her story before and after vision therapy throughout interesting segments of the entire video. Dr. Fortenbacher, Founder, of Wow Vision Therapy is also a contributing expert in this important public awareness VisionHelp video.

  

The Visual Consequences of when a Mild Concussion becomes a Severe Brain Injury.

Too many patients who have a “mild concussion” exacerbate into a more severe brain injury, resulting in severe visual problems, often weeks and months after the injury. To emphasize this serious public health issue, The Colloege of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) has proclaimed March as Brain Injury Awareness Month.  Speaking directly on this subject, Drs. Fortenbacher, Stull and Edwards and the Wow Vision Therapist Team lectured on The Visual Consequences of when a Mild Concussion becomes a Severe Brain Injury...an Advanced Model of Neuro-Optometric Vision Rehabilitation Care at the Annual Michigan Vision Therapy Study Group Meeting in January at the Michigan College of Optometry at Ferris State University.  

Featured in our presentation was a case study of our patient Thomas whose story is told in this video.

 

To read more about their lecture, visit Dr. Fortenbacher's post written for the VisionHelp Blog entitled: 

Dizzy, disoriented, distressed…when a mild concussion leads to serious vision problems and how to find help

 

A young girl's life of frustration when misdiagnosed with ADD

Frustrating? Yes. Upsetting? Of course! When a bright young lady has struggled for years at school, only to be assumed she had ADD. And just because her teacher suggested her behavior was probably ADD does not mean her teacher was at fault. Her behavior did look like ADD! But that is where the problem lies, because this is a common assumption made by many people when a child has behaviors of poor attention and concentration with reading. Immediately ADD or ADHD comes up and the child is too often put on psycho-stimulant medication without the necessary rule-outs of other conditions.

But thanks to Madison’s pediatrician who performed a simple test of Madison's binocular vision called a Near Point of Convergence Test, she found Madison had a vision problem called Convergence Insufficiency, a vision problem that affects 1 in 12 children, and referred her to see me for a comprehensive binocular vision evaluation. Take a look and hear from Madison’s mother, who tells the story about her daughter’s struggle with attention and concentration at school, disinterest in reading and loss of confidence transform into her success from the treatment of her binocular vision problems through advanced vision therapy care at Wow Vision Therapy.

   

Madison's story of success through office-based optometric vision therapy is validated in the latest scientific research  and published in: Optom Vis Sci. 2012 January ; 89(1): 12–18, Improvement in Academic Behaviors Following Successful Treatment of Convergence Insufficiency.

In addition, more evidence of Madison's successful treatment is outlined by the American Academy of Optometry published in August 2013 a position paper entitled,  American Academy of Optometry Binocular Vision, Perception, and Pediatric Optometry Position Paper on Optometric Care of the Struggling Student for parents, educators, and other professionals.

If you are located within Northern Indiana, Western or Southwestern Michigan and have a child who exhibits ADD-like behaviors, struggles in reading comprehension, homework is a battle, has headaches with reading or has other learning related difficulty, call our office and our patient care coordinators will help you by making an appointment with one of our Board Certified Doctors.  If you are not within the region of Wow Vision Therapy go to the College of Optometrists in Vision Development at www.covd.org and click on the Doctor Locator to find a specialist nearest you.

Dan L. Fortenbacher, O.D.,FCOVD

Advanced Amblyopia Treatment at Michigan College of Optometry

Amblyopia (Lazy Eye) affects 1 in 30 children worldwide! In this short video take a look at Clinical Professor, Dr. Dan Fortenbacher as he lectured to the students and faculty at Michigan College of Optometry (MCO) on July 26, 2013. Dr. Fortenbacher and Wow Vision Therapy resident, Dr. Edwards, presented on the pitfalls of occlusion therapy (patching) and discussed how the latest research shows increasing age is not the barrier to treatment once believed. Plus they outlined an advanced treatment model that yields faster and better results including 3-D stereo-acuity (depth perception) with excellent compliance and no patient discomfort.

 

Jayce's Story...from struggle to confidence

Jayce's Story...Hear from a young boy's mother how vision therapy gave him a new outlook on reading and learning. Like so many children, when struggle turns to ease and success the emotional outcome is confidence! Too many children fight a senseless struggle with vision problems that affect reading and learning. If you agree we hope you will  share Jayce's story.

 

 

Wow Vision Therapy: Using Skype to Treat Patients Long-Distance

Using Skype to help a long distance patient have access to care is an emerging new technology at Wow Vision Therapy. In this short video, we show our patient James and his parents, Joel and Gina, and their 700 mile journey of success as James completes his Skype vision therapy treatment. — at Wow Vision Therapy.

 

Strabismus: Fixing Aloise's Gaze...A mother's story

For those families whose child has esotropia strabismus, crossed-eyes, here is Aloise’s story. See the surprising chain of events that lead to Aloise’s parents finding out about vision therapy and the marvelous changes that they never expected!

 

Who is the VisionHelp Group?

Watch this short video to learn about VisionHelp, a group of developmental optometrists who are focused on raising awareness for developmental vision and vision therapy!

Our very own founder of Wow Vision Therapy, Dr. Dan Fortenbacher, O.D, FCOVD has been a member of VisionHelp since it's inception over 20 years ago. The mission of the VisionHelp Group is to facilitate advocacy to end the senseless struggle through better vision for humankind.