It's been almost twenty years

While here at the annual College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) I've been able to reflect. I recently had a former patient come to see me for a comprehensive exam, after having moved out of state for many years. I noticed in a review of her chart that on  one of her previous visits in 1997 I had done her preliminary testing as a technician.. It really wasn't up until this moment that I realized I had been working in some capacity at this office for nearly twenty years.

I can still remember when I first arrived to observe Dr. Sharon Luckhardt. My very first thought was "wood paneling?" Once I got past my first impressions of the office, however,  I entered a world of optometry I hadn’t known existed. Dr. Luckhardt was incredibly good at keeping me engaged with her patients. I had never really known what an eye exam entailed except from my own experience as a patient, so when Dr. Luckhardt started writing down exophoria, convergence, accommodation, and a bunch of other terms I had never heard before, I couldn't help but think "these are the most thorough eye examinations in the world". She was beginning to teach me all about behavioral optometry. After a couple of months of observation I took a job as a vision therapist and technician at the office.

My experience has taught me that it takes students and new employees around two to three months to begin to understand a work position. I will admit that even after several months I was still learning what it means to be exophoric (an eye posture), to have a convergence insufficiency (an eye teaming problem), or an oculomotor (tracking-point eyes accurately when moving) issue. Dr. Luckhardt gave me the benefit of the doubt, I imagine because I was motivated and a good student, but I was confused. I honed in on what skills I knew I had from the onset; I was comfortable speaking with kids. Eventually as an undergraduate I became comfortable with vision therapy concepts. I learned what to expect during and after a vision therapy program. I also learned quite a bit about general optometry. Even though Dr. Luckhardt practiced behavioral optometry, she put a high value on making sure every patient had excellent ocular health. She set high standards of care that as a student I began to believe was the norm. I thought I was just unfortunate as a child to go to a private optometrist that operated more like a "doc in a box" chain.

I entered optometry school light years ahead of my colleagues in understanding of functional vision and vision therapy. What I quickly learned however, was that this knowledge wasn't going to help me with neuroanatomy, pharmacology, and optics. Corneal whorling from amiodarone, higher order aberrations from lasers and lenses, retinal schisis, RPE drop out, and a litany of other things were just as hard for me to learn as they were for my contemporaries. I had entered a world that cared little to none about functional vision.

Eventually, in my third year of optometry school we had a class or two about vision therapy. Clinically functional vision, behavioral optometry, and vision therapy were bundled with pediatrics. As a practitioner I have learned it is just as important to know how to recognize mucopolysaccharidosis, Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome, and Sturge-Weber syndrome as it is to recognize a convergence insufficiency; however our education in optometry school puts just as much if not more on the former than the latter.

During my clinical rotations in my last year of optometry school I had the pleasure of interning with Dr. Bob Byne in Mahopac, New York. He brought me to the State University of New York Optometric Center to shadow some brilliant minds. The program in New York City not only had an excellent staff in ocular disease management but had an entire floor of the building devoted to vision therapy. Every student at the SUNY College of Optometry learned principles of functional vision. I soon found out, at least in the world of vision therapy and optometry, the residency program offered there was viewed as one of the most coveted and elite in the country.

I now found myself faced with a difficult decision. My mentor Dr. Luckhardt and I had discussed bringing me on as an associate and future partner so I could practice optometry the way I wanted immediately after I graduated. I knew, however, that if I got into the residency program at SUNY I could gain an understanding of vision therapy and traumatic brain injury that would take years to learn at the office in Westmont. Ultimately, I took a leap of faith and moved to New York City to begin my residency training with the intention of bringing my new found knowledge back to the western suburbs of Chicago.

During my residency training we taught 3rd year optometry students in vision therapy labs.  After one of these labs a student pulled me aside and asked "How do you know so much about therapy?" I didn't have an answer at the time. I now know that even at as a young doctor I had devoted a significant amount of time and energy in the practice of vision therapy and functional vision.

Although I have a few grey hairs in my beard, some wrinkles around my eyes, and my knees just don't feel the same as they used to, I am still a relatively young practitioner in the world of vision therapy. Some of my colleagues come to vision therapy later in life. I have had a couple of classmates ask to pick my brain because ten years after graduation they are now in a position to start the practice of vision therapy. I am more than happy to help them:the need is there. If every patient with a functional vision problem sought treatment we would not have a second to breathe. I love teaching, and I love teaching soon to be optometrists in their last year of optometry school.

I have learned that good quality therapy requires time, patience and introspection. To this day, after 19 years of doing therapy, I am still learning new things. Each patient I see challenges me to change any dogmatic thinking about the process we call vision. Nineteen years has taught me the value of a good system, a good staff, and the value of listening.

In the last couple of years I have also learned the value of getting the message out. We have been doing vision therapy for over 50 years. The doctors at this office have helped thousands of patients function better visually, read more effectively, and do near work with less fatigue. I'm still amazed when I will speak with an occupational therapist in the area who has been referring to a behavioral optometrist nearly 30 miles away, because she didn't know we were here.

So, if you've indulged me and read this far, I am asking you to spread the word. This is a call to action. This is our first year with our new name, West Suburban Family Vision and Therapy Center, but our 61st year in business. Please tell our story to friends and family, to those that are in need of help with a functional optometrist. Help us get the word out that we offer comprehensive eye care, specialize in traumatic brain injury (including work with concussion patients), and that our experience in this area is unmatched.

Thank you,

David A. Maze, O.D., FCOVD, FAAO

p.s.: For those of you that don't know what all of the letters are after my name mean:

O.D.: Doctor of Optometry

"Doctors of Optometry (O.D.s/optometrists) are the independent primary health care professionals for the eye.  Optometrists examine, diagnose, treat, and manage diseases, injuries, and disorders of the visual system, the eye, and associated structures as well as identify related systemic conditions affecting the eye."

FCOVD: Fellow in the College of Optometrist in Vision Development

"COVD provides board certification for eye doctors and vision therapists who are prepared to offer state-of-the-art services in behavioral and developmental vision care, vision therapy and visual rehabilitation."

FAAO:  Fellow in the American Academy of Optometry

"In qualifying for and maintaining fellowship, individuals are evaluated against the highest standards of professional competence. The letters "FAAO" (Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry) after an optometrist's, scientist's or other qualified person's name signify to colleagues and patients that rigorous qualifications for fellowship have been met."