Vision Therapy for the whole family!
Highline Center For Vision Performance is proud to be able to help patients of all ages with vision therapy. Samantha, a 10-year-old with a history of headaches and car sickness, came to Highline Vision Center for vision therapy services. She wanted to focus better, experience fewer headaches, alleviate car sickness, and improve her handwriting. Her mother, Caron, also sought help for persistent headaches, which were a hindrance while substitute teaching and performing office work.
When asked about the changes noticed following treatment, Samantha said, “I used to have almost daily headaches when writing in school or doing office work. Now I only get the occasional rare headache. I can also cross my eyes for the first time in my life and see a magic eye picture!”
Reading and comprehension have improved a ton!
Both of my kids had a hard time tracking words on pages. They became fatigued easily when reading, and were not able to read for very long. Comprehension was also an issue for both kids.
During vision therapy, my son quickly noticed that his hand-eye coordination was improving and this helped his soccer game tremendously! He also noticed that he can read for longer periods of time and is able to read at grade level! My daughter is reading faster, and her eyes are not as tired. This is a direct result of the many benefits my family has seen through vision therapy. Both kids are reading better, and comprehension has improved a ton!
A BIG thank you to Nancy and Denise for your dedication and hard work to help Abby & Jacob! 🙂
Improved four reading levels in six months!
Alex started school this week and he got tested for his reading level. Between May and August, he went up two reading levels. So between March to August (the vision therapy period), he went up a total of 4 reading levels. He is finally reading at grade level, no longer needs a reading coach.
He was so happy when he came home and showed me the new books he can read from the school web application they use for reading. Thank you again for being a part of his journey.
Owen is a new kid after vision therapy.
“I wouldn’t be where I am now if I hadn’t done vision therapy.” -Owen
From a very young age Owen has always loved reading, however, I noticed in second grade he wouldn’t pick up a chapter book to read. When he did he would skip words and lose his place. I always thought maybe he was tired, he was just being a typical boy and that he just needed to find a series that he loved. I also noticed his handwriting wasn’t improving, was sloppy and the words were correctly spaced apart.
When Dr. Schenbeck suggested we get a vision therapy screening I thought for sure the tests would say he was fine but that was not the case, Owen struggled with divergence and convergence and needed therapy.
I am so incredibly glad for Dr.Schenbeck’s knowledge around vision issues and for Nancy and staff at Highline vision therapy. Owen is a new kid after vision therapy, he now loves reading and I have to tell him often to stop reading and go to bed. Owen’s handwriting has dramatically improved and his grades are better than ever.
Thank you Highline Vision Therapy!!
Testimonials
I’m back in school and I feel so much SMARTER!!! Spelling is going great!
– Austin, 9
My Vision Therapy was a huge success to me. I have accomplished each of my goals. I have better grades. I also have no headaches and I don’t have to squint. My tracking is much better as well. I don’t have any troubles at all during school any more. I can read faster also.
– Tiana, 13
I want to thank Ms. Connie for helping me with eye therapy. I am much better at school, football and baseball. In fact, I can hit the baseball so hard that I broke my bat! Thank you for helping me read better and school is easier now that my eyes don’t hurt anymore.
– Gunner, 10
My eyes began improving in Vision Therapy. A little while before I graduated, I started noticing a difference. By the last two appointments, MY EYES DIDN’T ACHE after therapy!! Then I graduated and started to read more.
I enjoy sitting down and reading a good book whenever I can!!! Now, when I finish my schoolwork, I feel like I can still read a book or do something else.
I was able to study very, very hard and make it to the top 100 and go to the National Bible Bee, which I was very excited about and had a blast. With all the reading and visualization for memory work, I think Vision Therapy really helped my eyes to be able to focus and not feel exhausted.
– Tiffany, 12
I used to get headaches when I would try to read. I thought my eyes would never get better. Now the headaches are gone and I love to read. I also write better and faster. My eyes are now better and I am happy I graduated!
– Analise, 11
Before Vision Therapy I struggled with reading because I was a slow reader and when I read aloud the words were choppy. Sometimes I didn’t understand what I was reading on some pages. This made me feel mad and sad because I just wanted to be able to read faster and to understand what I was reading. When I started Vision Therapy, over time I noticed changes. The first thing I noticed was my fluency improved. I was reading faster! I could also understand more pages without having to re-read a lot. I also noticed my reading test scores were improving and my scores were becoming higher. That made me feel happy and proud of myself! I started to enjoy reading again. My spelling and writing also seemed to improve. I was always good at math, but I felt more confident in that area as well. I love to play soccer and towards the end of Vision Therapy I noticed I could juggle the ball and my foot skills improved. I enjoyed my sessions with Ms. Denise and had a lot of fun with her. I was happy and sad to graduate – happy because I worked hard but sad to not see Ms. Denise anymore.
– Mikayla, 9
Vision therapy has given us hope that pursuing his interest in being a pilot is something that may still be achievable!
In September 2022, Andrew complained to me (mom) that he was having some dizziness, light sensitivity issues, and eye fatigue. This was concerning especially since Andrew as a senior in high school is planning to go to college to become a commercial airline pilot. As a mom, my first thought was that Andrew was spending too much time on devices especially since he had started two online college courses along with his other high school classes.
After sharing concerns with a friend, she recommended vision therapy screening which led us to Highline Vision Therapy. From prescreening through treatment, it was a delight to work with Nancy, Dr. Doyle, and the front office staff. They all have been supportive and want Andrew to be successful. These weekly visits with Nancy have been a highlight of Andrew’s week even when he has been pushed to do things out of his comfort zone. Although he is glad to have such a great improvement, he is regrets that his weekly sessions with Nancy are done.
After several weeks of therapy, Andrew’s dizziness is nearly eliminated, he doesn’t have light sensitivity issues, and his eyes are not fatigued after a full day at school. While he’s always been a good student, we’ve seen an improvement this semester with the online classes he is taking which could be a credit to the therapy.
Vision therapy has given us hope that pursuing his interest in being a pilot is something that may still be achievable! Now that I’ve seen the results with Andrew, I often think about vision therapy when I hear parents talk about struggles their children have in school, and when I hear about a teen with a concussion and vision issues afterwards. I have mentioned it to a handful of people that I’ve had conversations within the past few months.
She enjoys attending school now more than ever.
We came to Highline Vision to assess our 8-year-old daughter, Alice. She had been struggling for years with reading. We had reached out to several teachers and reading specialists at her school. We had her vision checked through the school district and her pediatrician several times as well. We worked harder and took their suggestion heart but Alice still was barely improving and was placed on a READ plan, reading one grade level below her peers. Most days ended in frustration and tears.
A teacher at one of my schools I work at had similar vision issues with her daughter about ten years ago and suggested we have Alice assessed at Highline Vision. I took her in July 2021 and she was diagnosed with eye teaming and tracking difficulties. Finally we could understand what was wrong and even better, with help from the incredible staff, especially Nancy at Highline Vision, Alice could overcome these challenges.
Alice started vision therapy in September 2021 and since then her reading has improved immensely. She reads for pleasure for at least an hour every evening, joined the battle of the books team at her school and also significantly improved her iReady reading scores from August to December 2021. She rarely gets frustrated or cries anymore at school and she enjoys attending school now more than ever. We cannot thank you enough for all of the help and support you have offered our family. Nancy has coached us through times in person, via email and text to help us when Alice got stuck.
Thank you for setting Alice up for a very bright future!
Reading speed and comprehension improved.
Hello! My name is Juan, I’m a Junior in High School and I just graduated from the Highline Vision Therapy program.
On June of 2021 during my annual exam, I was told that I have amblyopia in my right eye and that my eye teaming was at risk. For that reason, the eye specialist suggested vision therapy.
There I met Nancy and she walked me through different exercises to improve my right eye’s performance with my other eye. I was given a daily routine for home weekly and received therapy for 6 months and during this time I noticed a lot of improvement in my sight.
Now I have more eye-hand coordination with my right eye, and I can use both my eyes to see my surroundings better. Another huge help that the vision therapy has given me is academically, because it improved my reading speed and comprehension. Thank you for all your help, Nancy and Highline Vision Center!
Reading has become less laborious and tiring.
When my son began vision therapy, we had three top goals in mind:
- Improve on convergence & divergence.
- Improve reading speed & comprehension.
- Reduce fatigue when reading.
My son’s convergence and divergence issues have improved with vision therapy. Nancy was a great therapist and always provided the right insight and encouragement that led to his success.
With his improved vision, reading has become less laborious and tiring, which is important for a boy who is also challenged by dyslexia.
Improved Eye-Hand Coordination and Reading Faster
I have noticed that I am reading a lot faster. I have been able to track the football and lacrosse ball a lot better. I have noticed that my eye-hand coordination is a lot better. My football and lacrosse coaches are complimenting me more that I have every been complimented in the past. My parents have noticed a big difference in my reading and my sports playing.
From Mom:
Peter is transitioning from homeschool to a traditional school this year. He has been diagnosed with Dyslexia and auditory processing disorder which previously caused him to struggle in school and lose confidence. But after working hard through vision therapy, he is transitioning to traditional school with a confidence we have never seen before! Peter has always done well in sports but this year he is at peak game and is dominating in both football and lacrosse. It is not a coincidence that his abilities on the field correspond directly with his vision therapy. Thank you!
Double-vision Since Kindergarten
My daughter had reading issues since she started school and we had accepted that this was her and she would eventually catch up. When my other child was at her exam I was given an educational assessment—to which I could check most items for my daughter with reading issues. After careful examination it was found that she in fact had convergence issues and had been suffering with double vision since Kindergarten! As a fourth grader, Nancy informed us that this was a great find as academics could begin to suffer as she started more difficult course work. We agreed to do extensive vision therapy. My daughter happily involved herself and was able to do most everything independently. After several weeks we started to notice improvements in her fluency and ability to read for longer periods of time. At the end of therapy, her reevaluation found that her issues had been corrected!!!! Her reading ability and love for reading have DRAMATICALLY changed. She went from fatiguing at 1-2 pages at beginning 3rd grade level (at the end of 3rd grade when we discovered the issue), to reading 5th grade level by mid 4th grade and devouring Harry Potter!! We are truly grateful that she was able to do vision therapy!
Reading Level Increased Tremendously
Initially, Weston came to us to improve his reading, reduce his headaches, and to decrease homework time. By the time Weston graduated Vision Therapy, he shared changes that included improved reading, handwriting and copying skills, fewer instances of headaches and improved hand-eye coordination that has improved his ability to play sports.
Classroom Confidence & Athletic Achievement
Gianna entered vision therapy with some very specific goals. Those goals included: to reduce test anxiety, to read faster, to achieve grade level in reading and math, and also, to earn more time for extracurricular activities through school success.
We are thrilled to report that Gianna has graduated vision therapy and is thriving in the classroom and in sports. She no longer has stomach pain before and after tests and she has much more confidence when it comes to homework. That effort has landed her on the honor roll in February, 2021!
With her reduced headaches, she’s testing at grade level for the first time in her academic career and reading is no longer a struggle. And since schoolwork is easier for her to complete, she’s earned more time for soccer where she has moved from a 5th level team to a 2nd level competitive team. Her coach notes that Gianna has an amazing ability to “track the ball” resulting in incredibly accurate passing. Congratulations, Gianna!
Generations of Vision Therapy Success
I highly recommend that any parent that has a child that is diagnosed as having a learning disability, dyslexia, or other learning issues, look into the possibility that they have vision processing issues. When our eldest daughter was 9 we removed her public education and began homeschooling due to just those circumstances. The damage done to child’s self-worth through being labeled in such a way is devastating to that child.
We were recommended to Dr. Jeri Schneebeck to see if she had a visual processing disorder. Upon examination it was determined that she had a tracking issue and Dr. Jeri showed us how her eyes would flutter when trying to track objects or move to the next line while reading, which made reading very difficult. After about 6 months of therapy, we witnessed a remarkable turn-around in her scholastic performance and also in her behavioral interactions at home.
We had our next two daughters evaluated at about the age of 6 or 7 and found that they also had the same tracking issues as our oldest daughter. We got them into therapy quickly and got the corrections needed and have had no issues with them. I am pleased to say that all three of daughters have turned out so well after their early struggles and they are now 37, 30 and 28 years old.
As I have interacted with coworkers, they often tell me of the struggles one or more of their children are having, and how the child has been labeled and put into special education classes. The parents are devastated and the child(ren) exhibit behavioral problems that just makes family life difficult. I have on multiple occasions recommended that they see Dr. Jeri to see if they visual processing issues. I can happily say that after a few months of working with Dr. Jeri they were experiencing amazing results, and very thankful for the recommendation. I just recently had another co-worker with this situation with his daughter and he is excited to see if this might be the issue with her.
I have been completely sold on vision therapy and believe that the education systems are more prone to starting children into IEP and special learning classes than diagnosing what may be root causes of issues. Vision is about so much more than just having visual acuity (20/20 vision) and correcting with glasses or lenses.
My wife and I have been a faithful customers of D. Jeri for over thirty years because of our experiences with vision therapy and her holistic understanding of all that is involved in vision.
– Jeffrey and Roberta Paser
Vision Therapy helps man recover after concussion
See the full story about how vision therapy helped our patient after a concussion on our blog here!
Vision Therapy Triumph: Elliot
Elliot, like many students, thought that his classroom struggles could be overcome by hard work alone. As a senior in high school he received a Vision and Learning Screening as recommended by Dr. Doyle, his Highline optometrist. He was then able to understand just how adversely his visual skills affected his learning. The screening revealed his reading comprehension was just 30 percent. Read his full story on our blog here!
Vision Therapy Graduate — Cameron
Cameron C., 4th grader, shares his experience with Vision Therapy through Highline Center for Vision Performance. He explains that he struggled with almost every school subject as well as his balance but now he loves school and is in their gifted programs. “Vision Therapy pretty much changed my whole entire life.”