Dear Dr. Cooper,

I am writing this letter to you, because it has been suggested to me that some of the experiences that I have had with Vision Therapy might be helpful to some of your other patients.

To start at the beginning, I came to see you two years ago with a referral from Dr. Arthur Wollintz who is a neroopthamologist and has been my family doctor since my childhood. I went to see him, because for the past ten years I have been having a serious problem with my eyes. The problem was that I could not read or watch either television or movies. When I did I would get eye strain, my left eye would start fluttering, and I would get stabbing pains, followed by headaches and stiffness in my neck. After giving me a thorough examination, Dr. Wollintz sent me to you. You confirmed his diagnosis that I had a condition called Exophona. This condition results in weakness of the eye muscles, causing a tendency for each eye to turn outward (diverge). I have trouble pulling my eyes in to focus (converge). You explained to me that it was a correctable condition which could be helped by Vision Training (VT).I had never heard of VT, but I was hopeful and started coming for weekly sessions.

Within weeks, I was reading whole books. I tried to keep all my appointments and the vision trainer gave me home exercises that were easy to do. I was very motivated and saw immediate progress. It was a miracle to be able to read again. Every day I was doing my exercises and reading book after book. I felt as if I had gotten my life back. For the longest time I had wanted to go back to school, and now at last it seemed possible. Before VT, I had even considered learning to read Braille, because I was so desperate to read. I worked very hard and within months I was able to cure my condition.

Unfortunately, I started experiencing symptoms again after several months. I was studying and reading too much in one sitting, not doing eye exercises or using good judgment. My eyes became strained and tired, and I felt depressed, anxious and frightened. Finally, I realized I needed to come back and see you, and so I made an appointment. You were calming and reassuring. You said “Anything can be fixed.” I would need to return for VT and possibly get reading glasses. I would need to learn to take care of my eyes by reading, watching television and movies, and using my office computer in moderation. The burden of fear and anxiety that came off my shoulders that day was wonderful.